Marseille 2007
Marseille 2007
Abstract book
Go Back

Abstract #624  -  IMMIGRANTS FROM EUROPEAN SOUTHERN AND EASTERN BORDERS: HIV RISKS, SOCIAL CONDITIONS AND SERVICE PROVISION REORIENTATION
Session:
  26.105: Posters B (Poster) on Tuesday   in  Chaired by
Authors:
  Presenting Author:   Dr massimo mirandola - Regional Centre for Health Promotion, Italy
 
  Additional Authors:  Dr Jean Pierre Foschia,  
Aim:
Between 2002 and 2004 a European Commission-funded research project set out to explore whether immigrants had adequate access to the health services and to health-related information, particularly regarding HIV/AIDS prevention, in five European countries (Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain). The aim of the interviews was to elicit information directly from immigrants about their health status, economic, social and legal conditions and cultural background; needs related to knowledge and use of the health and social services; perceptions of access and barriers (legal, cultural, financial etc.) to health and social service, as well as the quality of these services; knowledge, attitudes and behaviour related to HIV/AIDS and STDs.
 
Method / Issue:
A total of 1,579 immigrants were interviewed in the autumn of 2003 by trained interviewers. Interviews were conducted in accordance with a cross-country research protocol designed to ensure that all the countries participating in the project followed equivalent procedures for the purposes of statistical comparison and that the rights of interviewees were fully respected. 300 interviews were carried out in each country, 250 were conducted with people from the most numerous immigrant communities, whilst the remaining 50 were conducted with a sub-group of women who were involved in sex work.
 
Results / Comments:
80% of migrants rated that their health was good, but 34% of those who had been in the host country for more than 5 years said it had deteriorated. 63% of the general migrant population had some form of health coverage, compared to 43% of sex workers. 69% said they were satisfied with their experience with health services, but 40% said they had experienced communication problems. Only 50% were quite sure what HIV/AIDS was and only 40% knew they had right to a free and anonymous HIV test. Only 58% of sex workers hah had an HIV test, only 54% said they always used a condom during intercourse with clients, and 68% explained that clients paid more for unprotected sex. Migrants without legal status- even in those countries where they had access to more than the emergency services- were less likely than regular migrants to access to services, due to the overriding fear of losing anonymity and being deported. The topic of HIV/AIDS aroused fear of stigmatisation and discrimination in all migrants communities.
 
Discussion:
The information obtained through the interviews served to provide input into the subsequent, qualitative, phase of the research project carried out with a small number of key representatives of the immigrant communities and the health and social services in each country. The final product of the project was a Hanbook : Migrant-friendlyhealth services and HIV/STI prevention, a handbook for professionals and policy makers, based inter alia upon these research findings, providing practical information and shared experiences for practitioners and managers in health and social services working with immigrants.
 
Go Back

  Disclaimer   |   T's & C's   |   Copyright Notice    www.AIDSImpact.com www.AIDSImpact.com