Drug use and AIDS risks in a soup kitchen population.
Untreated substance users remain beyond the reach of most acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention efforts. In an effort to describe the risk behavior and attitudes of this population, the authors conducted interviews with 148 drug users in an urban soup kitchen. The study focused on subjects' risk-taking and risk-reduction behavior related to injection drug use, perceived changes in risk behavior, perceived risk for contracting AIDS, and socioeconomic and attitudinal correlates of injecting and sharing needles. Study findings underscore the need for community-based AIDS prevention strategies to intervene with high-risk populations beyond the reach of drug treatment and AIDS prevention programs.
Schilling
R F
RF
Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, NY 10025.
el-Bassel
N
N
Gilbert
L
L
D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000635:transmission*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016485:Needle Sharing; D009519:New York City; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012919:Social Behavior; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders