title: Interpreting HIV seroprevalence data from a street-based outreach program.
abstract: A total of 4,375 subjects were recruited through continuous street outreach over 31 months for interviews on HIV-related risk behavior and HIV-antibody testing. Changes over time among sampled subjects with respect to HIV infection and HIV-risk behavior have been examined retrospectively, and significant and consistent trends noted across successive cohorts. Although overall 42% of the sample tested HIV antibody-positive, HIV infection exhibited a consistent downward trend from 60% in the first quarter year of interviewing to 22% in the final quarter year. Scores on a multivariate index of HIV risk also declined significantly. Mean age, proportion of Black subjects, mean length of drug injection career, frequency of drug injection, and the use of shooting galleries all declined significantly across quarters as well. We argue that these observed differences result from a systematic sampling bias inherent in our outreach-driven sampling procedures, which initially favored recruitment of IDUs with greater behavioral and demographic risk for HIV.
authors.affiliation: Hahnemann University School of Medicine, Department of Mental Health Sciences, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1102.
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Iguchi
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bux
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lidz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kushner
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: French
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Platt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015438:Health Behavior; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology