Drug Use and HIV Infection Status of Detainees in Re-Education through Labour Camps in Guangxi Province, China

Lei Zhang; Lorraine Yap; Joanne Reekie; Wei Liu; Yi Chen; Zunyou Wu; Handan Wand; Tony Butler

doi:10.3390/ijerph120504502

Drug Use and HIV Infection Status of Detainees in Re-Education through Labour Camps in Guangxi Province, China

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2015 Apr 23;12(5):4502-19. doi: 10.3390/ijerph120504502.

Authors

Lei Zhang^{1

2

3}, Lorraine Yap⁴, Joanne Reekie⁵, Wei Liu⁶, Yi Chen⁷, Zunyou Wu⁸, Handan Wand⁹, Tony Butler¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. lzhang@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
² Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia. lzhang@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
³ Research Center for Public Health, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, 100064 Beijing, China. lzhang@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
⁴ The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. l.yap@unsw.edu.au.
⁵ The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. jreekie@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
⁶ Division of AIDS/STD, Guangxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanning 530011, Guangxi, China. lw_gx@126.com.
⁷ Division of AIDS/STD, Guangxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanning 530011, Guangxi, China. chenyi1109@gmail.com.
⁸ National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing 102206, China. wuzunyou@chinaaids.cn.
⁹ The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. Hwand@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
¹⁰ The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. tbutler@kirby.unsw.edu.au.

Abstract

This study describes HIV disease burden and patterns of drug use before and during incarceration among detainees in Re-education-Through-Labour-Camps (RTLCs) in China. A cross-sectional survey of 576 men and 179 women from three RTLCs was conducted in Guangxi Province, China. Over three-quarters of study participants were detained due to drug-related offences. Over half of the women (n = 313, 54.3%) and two-thirds of men (n = 119, 66.5%) had been previously been incarcerated in a compulsory detoxification treatment centre (CDTC), and around one-third (men n = 159, 27.6%; women n = 50, 27.9%) in a RTLC. Of those surveyed, 49 men (8.5%) and one (0.6%) woman reported ever using drugs while in a CDTC and/or RTLC. Previous incarceration in CDTCs and RTLCs were associated with HIV infection among both male (OR = 2.15 [1.11-4.15]) and female (OR = 3.87 [1.86-9.04]) detainees. Being married/cohabiting with a partner (OR = 0.53, [0.30-0.93]) and being employed (OR = 0.46, [0.22-0.95]) were associated with a reduced odds of HIV infection among male detainees. A significant proportion of RTLC detainees had a history of drug use and a limited number of inmates had used illegal substances whilst in custody. Repeat incarcerations in CDTCs/RTLCs were associated with higher risks of HIV infection.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
China / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Drug Users / statistics & numerical data*
Female
HIV Infections / complications
HIV Infections / epidemiology*
Humans
Male
Opiate Substitution Treatment / statistics & numerical data
Prevalence
Sexual Partners
Substance-Related Disorders / complications*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Work