Marseille 2007
| Abstract #333 - PARITOX AND IM-PARI-TOX: PEER EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE PREVENTION OF RISKY BEHAVIOURS IN DRUG USERS | ||||
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Session: 6.18: Posters A (Poster) on Monday in Chaired by Authors: Presenting Author: Mrs Maria Luisa COSMARO - LILA Milano ONLUS, Italy |
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| Additional Authors: Mr Massimo OLDRINI, Dr Pierluigi PEZZOTTA, | ||||
| Aim: The research was conducted between 1998 and 2006 through 3 harm reduction projects conducted by LILA Milano in collaboration with the Local Health Units, addressed to drug users. The general aim was that of training highly "disempowered" individuals to peer education and empowerment strategies concerning the promotion of healthy behaviours and lifestyle. A small group of individuals engaging in behaviours at high risk of HIV infection and re-infection was trained in a protected environment (1st level of the process), in order to develop self-protection and communication skills to be subsequently transferred to the wider target group of peers outside of the specific context (2nd level of the process). Such training group of peer-supporters and opinion leaders were trained over an extended period of time and rendered capable to collaborate with the staff of public services for drug-users. Specific goals were as follows: - to reduce the risk of infection related to intravenous drug use - to promote the adoption of safe behaviours - to develop a deeper awareness of risks, rights and duties through "community empowerment" | ||||
| Method / Issue: In the first two projects (1998-2003) participants were enrolled directly on the street by outreach street workers and selected through motivational interviews. The group participated to residential training seminars conducted by experts aided by tutors. During the seminars safe use of drugs was allowed. The projects included 6 seminars addressed to a total of 65 intravenous drug users. The third project (2004-2006) extended training to a smaller group of 10 drug users willing to commit themselves in working for a set period of time and to comply with time schedules and roles. The investment in the training of peer supporters was carried on in order to further improve their skills and integration in the public services addressed to drug users. They were offered a training course of 20 days. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Participation to the long training period was high (80%), while the attendance of drug users to the subsequent job experience decreased involving only 30% of the initial group. The ability of involving drug-addicts in peer education training courses concerning at risk behaviours and prevention strategies was largely proven both with the protected methodology (the residential seminars of the Paritox projects) as well as with the more traditional school-like schedule of the Im-pari-tox project. The evaluation tools allowed to verify the effective improvement in competence and skills retained over time. It was more difficult instead to verify the effective transfer of preventive information to the group of peers. A less satisfactory result was obtained in the subsequent working activities planned in more formal and regulated contexts. | ||||
| Discussion: Collected data and discussion of the different experiences suggest (a) the need to develop tools and indicators for measuring the effects of peer-education in the prevention of HIV infections, re-infections and transmission; (b) the implementation of courses of average length (5-6 days) as more suitable for the target involved; (c) the introduction of intermediate goals for gradual modification of behaviours and lifestyles, in respect of the longer adaptation timings to minor changes which result nevertheless very stressful for drug users. | ||||
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