First injection and current risk factors for HIV among new and long-term injection drug users.
The purpose of this paper is to estimate HIV seroprevalence and to examine the injection and sexual risk behaviours of a cohort of active new heroin injectors who have initiated injection within the past four years and to compare their risk behaviours with those of long-term heroin injectors who initiated injection prior to January 1, 1985. A stratified network-based sample was used to recruit injection drug users (IDUs) from the streets of Miami-Dade, Florida. New IDUs displayed a significantly lower HIV seroprevalence than long-term injectors (13.3 versus 24.7%). Both new and long-term drug injectors exhibited a high level of current HIV risk behaviour. While new injectors were more likely than long-term injectors to practise safer injection behaviours at the initial injection episode, the current risk behaviours of new and long-term injectors are similar.
Department of Sociology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146-0719, USA. dchitwood@miami.ed
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Comerford
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McBride
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D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000635:transmission*; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D003932:Heroin; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012737:Sex Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*; D013997:Time Factors
D003932:Heroin