title: HIV seropositivity in community-recruited and drug treatment samples of injecting drug users.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the representativeness of drug use treatment samples for measuring HIV seroprevalence among injecting drug users (IDU) in community settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seroprevalence was determined in two cross-sectional, convenience samples including an unlinked survey of IDU entrants to all publicly-funded drug-treatment programs and a survey of community-recruited IDU.
  
  
  METHODS
  Unconditional logistic regression [odds ratio (OR)] was used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted OR to measure the association between HIV seropositivity and site of recruitment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 1988 and 1989, 25% of 870 community-recruited IDU were seropositive, compared with 13% of 671 entrants to drug-treatment programs. This twofold risk of HIV seropositivity among community-recruited IDU remained after adjustment for sample differences in gender, race-ethnicity, and age group (adjusted OR, 2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.58-2.78).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest the importance of extending HIV surveillance outside of drug-treatment facilities. Active serologic surveillance may be feasible by coupling recent saliva and fingerstick sampling techniques with existing community outreach education efforts.
authors.affiliation: AIDS Outreach Intervention Project, School of Public Health, University of Illinois 60612.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lampinen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seweryn
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Hershow
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wiebel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous