Affiliation:
1. School of Health Jiroft University of Medical Sciences Jiroft Iran
2. Laboratory of Epidemiology and Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Public & One Health University of Thessaly Thessaly Greece
3. Social Welfare Management Research Center, Social Health Research Institute University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences Tehran Iran
4. Clinical Research Development Center of Imam Khomeini Hospital Jiroft University of Medical Sciences Jiroft Iran
5. HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences Kerman Iran
6. Department of Ophthalmology Shafa Hospital, Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences Kerman Iran
Abstract
AbstractBackground and AimsStreet children face a disproportionately higher risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) due to high‐risk sexual and drug use practices. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of these infections and related risk behaviors among street children in Iran.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Web of Science (ISI), Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar for the English‐language records and Iranian databases, including SID, Magiran, and IRANDOC for the Farsi‐language records up to September 18, 2022. Random effects analysis was used to obtain prevalence estimates for each condition. Homogeneity across included studies was assessed using I2.ResultsWe extracted data from 18 eligible studies, representing 5646 children (83.2% boys), with a mean age of 10.2 (range: 5–18). The prevalence of HIV, HBV, and HCV were 0.79% (95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 0.0–5.56), 1.97% (95% CI: 1.01–3.19), and 1.88% (95% CI: 0.74–3.46), respectively. The prevalence of lifetime drug use and sexual abuse was 8.32% (95% CI: 4.83–12.62) and 10.18% (95% CI: 3.02–20.67) among street children, respectively.ConclusionThe estimated prevalence of HIV, HBV, and HCV among street children in Iran was higher than the estimates in the general population. Moreover, drug use and the experience of sexual abuse were prevalent among this population. These findings suggest the need for targeted prevention programs for street children in Iran.