In Central Asia, particularly in the Kyrgyz Republic, community-based organizations play an important role in addressing the complex needs of PWUD. The Public Fund “Attika” is one such organization, founded by people who use drugs and providing harm reduction, psychosocial, and legal support services since 2007. Operating in Bishkek, Osh (the two largest population centres), and the surrounding regions, Attika reaches approximately 2,000 clients annually with medical and harm reduction services including opioid agonist treatment, HIV testing, provision of sterile needles and syringes, outreach, and social reintegration support.
Understanding how smoking and other substance use intersect within this community-based setting is essential for designing more effective harm reduction interventions. While international studies indicate varying patterns of co-use between tobacco and other psychoactive substances, such evidence is scarce for Kyrgyzstan and the broader region. This gap limits the capacity of local NGOs to tailor their services to the full spectrum of health risks faced by their clients.
This study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between the use of nicotine products and the use of various psychoactive substances among Attika’s clients. Using survey data collected through routine outreach, the study aims to identify patterns of co-use, measure the strength of these associations, and highlight potential priorities for integrated smoking cessation and harm reduction efforts within this unique community context. The study was a collaboration between researchers at Knowledge-Action-Change, a private sector public health agency, and Public Fund “Attika”.
(2025-04-01)
