Drugscapes and the role of place and space in injection drug use-related HIV risk environments.
Although considerable research has been conducted to identify the behavioural characteristics that predispose individuals to inject drugs or become infected with HIV via injection drug use, much less research has been conducted on structural and policy determinants, cultural norms, stigma, and ecological factors which may affect drug use risk behaviour, users' networks and HIV rates associated with drug use across geographic areas. For programme planners, whether official or grassroots, an understanding of place-based characteristics can help better identify risk environments to injection drug use-related HIV, and determine how to facilitate actions regarding public policy and harm reduction to aid in the reduction of risk. As such, we consider in this commentary the importance of geographic place and the socio-spatial and political processes related to place that may help determine where IDU-related HIV risk environments occur.
National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., 71 West 23rd Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10010, USA. tempalski@ndri.org
Barbara
B
Tempalski
Hilary
H
McQuie
D016739:Behavior, Addictive; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D016485:Needle Sharing; D011287:Prejudice; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012931:Social Environment; D013240:Stereotyping; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D047568:Unsafe Sex