Important Gaps in HIV Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Among Young Asylum Seekers in Comparison to the General Population

• Published in: Journal of immigrant and minority health Vol. 20; no. 6; pp. 1415 - 1423
• Main Authors: Tiittala, Paula, Kivelä, Pia, Liitsola, Kirsi, Ollgren, Jukka, Pasanen, Sini, Vasankari, Tuula, Ristola, Matti
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Science + Business Media 01.12.2018; Springer US; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; Adults; AIDS; Attitudes; Comparative Law; Comparative studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Education; Female; Finland - epidemiology; Health education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice - ethnology; Health Status; HIV; HIV Infections - ethnology; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - transmission; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; International & Foreign Law; Knowledge; Male; Medical tests; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Migrants; ORIGINAL PAPER; Political asylum; Population; Population studies; Private International Law; Public Health; Refugees; Refugees - psychology; Sex education; Sex Factors; Sexual Behavior; Sexually transmitted diseases; Socioeconomic Factors; Sociology; STD; Tests; Young Adult; Young adults; Finland; Asylum seeker; KAP; HIV; Young adult; Testing
• ISSN: 1557-1912; 1557-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s10903-018-0707-8

Migrants are disproportionately affected by HIV in many European countries, including Finland. We aimed to compare the HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of young asylum seekers to those of the general young adult population. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted among 20- to 25-year-old young adults: The TIE study among asylum seekers (n=47) and the World AIDS Day 2014 study among the general population (n=485). Important gaps in HIV KAP were identified especially among the young asylum seekers. For the general young adult population, previous HIV testing was associated with female gender, better HIV knowledge and increased sexual activity. Health education concerning HIV needs to be further enforced among young adults in Finland. Due to poorer HIV knowledge, young asylum seekers might be especially vulnerable to HIV. The asylum process is a window of opportunity for health education and HIV testing.