Journal of School of Public Health and

  Background and Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the views of policy makers and key persons about national AIDS control politics.

  Materials and Methods : This qualitative study used purposive sampling. To collect data, the perspectives of six experts about AIDS were inspected. Framework analysis was used to analyze the data.

  Results: The results of this study showed that beside the strengths there are also significant weaknesses in making the policies, administering the existing policies, executing the programs in organizations, and planning new policies to control AIDS hence these problems and weaknesses must be identified to achieve the main goals of AIDS control program.

  Conclusion: AIDS is not only a health problem but a social, economical and cultural problem, which requires more attention from authorities and related organizations for developing and implementing policies in accordance with international guidelines. To achieve Millennium development goals (MDGs) in the context of AIDS it is essential for policy makers and key figures to consider more effective activities and measures in their agenda.

Background and Aim: Children who work or live in the streets are one of the high-risk groups for HIV. The high population of street children and lack of comprehensive intervention programs for them increase their risk for HIV in Iran. This study intended to explore the situation of drug abuse in street children in Tehran, the capital city.

Materials and Methods: This paper reports part of a comprehensive rapid assessment and response (RAR) research project on street children in Tehran during 2012-13. Data were collected by interviewing subjects using questionnaires. The sample size was 289 street children selected by time-location sampling in Tehran.

Results : Data showed that about 25.6% of the street children had had some history of cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, and/or drug abuse. Most of them were boys aged 15-18 years. The prevalence rate of cigarette and/or hubble-bubble smoking, alcohol consumption and drug abuse during the preceding 6 months 12.1%, 11% and 6.9%, respectively. Significant associations were found between alcohol consumption and drug abuse on the one hand and the children’s age, type of occupation and home-leaving experience on the other. Further analysis of the data showed that the main reason for drug abuse was curiosity (56.6%), followed by mere enjoyment (39.6%) and leisure (35.8%) .

Conclusion : It can be concluded that drug abuse among street children is highly associated with gender, age, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and leaving home experience. Therefore, it is recommended to start drug abuse prevention programs at lower ages, with particular emphasis on boys. In addition, family intervention and improvement of children’s lifestyle aiming at preventing home-leaving could be a main strategic plan for reducing drug abuse among street children.