Sexual behaviour of women living with HIV/AIDS naive for antiretroviral therapy: the ICONA-BEHEPI Study

This study describes the sexual behaviours of women living with HIV, and as sesses differences by history of drug use. Its general aim is to contribute in the design of programmes to help people with HIV/AIDS (PWH/A) adopt and maintain safe sexual behaviours. A self-administered questionnaire on sexu al and drug use behaviours was distributed to study participants. Between 1 997 and 1999, 573 women with HIV infection naive to antiretroviral therapie s completed the questionnaire (of whom 234 reported a history of injection drug use (IDU)) and were enrolled in the study. Non-IDU women reported fewe r sexual partners, both in their lifetime and in the preceding month, than IDU women: 19% of IDU and 4% of non-IDU women reported more than 25 lifetim e sexual partners (p < 0.001). Interestingly, 83% of non-IDU women were inf ected by their regular partners: these women reported the lowest number of sexual partners. No difference emerged between IDU and non-IDU women in ter ms of number of sexual intercourse in the two weeks preceding the interview or in terms of condom use in the last intercourse (reported, overall, by 5 4% of these 573 women). Among women who had sex partners at the time of int erview, more non-IDU (65%) than IDU (43%) women reported HIV-positive partn ers (p < 0.001). Overall, these findings stress a marked heterogeneity in t he levels of past and recent sexual promiscuity according to history of dru g use. It suggests the need to differentiate and individualize messages abo ut self-protection and behaviours that may prevent further spread of HIV in fection.