title: Reductions in high-risk drug use behaviors among participants in the Baltimore needle exchange program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether enrollment in the Baltimore Needle Exchange Program (NEP) was associated with short-term reduction in risky injection practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic information was collected on NEP participants upon enrollment. A systematic sample of enrollees was interviewed at program entry, 2 weeks, and 6 months later on recent drug-related behaviors. Comparisons were performed using paired t-tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 221 NEP participants who completed baseline, 2-week and 6-month follow-up visits, significant reductions (p < .01) were reported in using a previously used syringe (21.6%, 11.0%, 7.8%, respectively), lending one's used syringe to a friend (26.7%, 18.4%, 12%, respectively), and several indirect sharing activities. Reductions were reported in the mean number of injections per syringe and the mean number of injections per day (p < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show rapid and mostly large reductions in a variety of risky injection drug use behaviors. Study findings are consistent with earlier reports showing an association between behavioral risk reduction and participation in a needle exchange program.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vlahov
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Junge
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brookmeyer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Armenian
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beilenson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009339:Needles; D012309:Risk-Taking; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000523:psychology*