Relationships between social norms, social network characteristics, and HIV risk behaviors in Thailand and the United States.
OBJECTIVE
Social norms have been associated with a wide range of health behaviors. In this study, the authors examined whether the social norms of HIV risk behaviors are clustered within social networks and whether the norms of network members are linked to the risk behaviors of their social network members.


METHODS
Data were collected from the baseline assessment of 354 networks with 933 participants in a network-oriented HIV prevention intervention targeting injection drug users in Philadelphia, United States, and Chiang Mai, Thailand.


METHODS
Four descriptive HIV risk norms of sharing needles, cookers, and cotton and front- or back-loading among friends who inject were assessed.


RESULTS
Three of 4 injection risk norms (sharing needle, cookers, and cotton) were found to be significantly clustered. In Philadelphia, 1 network member's (the index participant) norms of sharing needles and front- or back-loading were found to be significantly associated with the network members' risk behaviors, and the norm of sharing cotton was marginally associated.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest that among injection drug users, social norms are clustered within networks; social networks are a meaningful level of analyses for understanding how social norms lead to risk behaviors, providing important data for intervening to reduce injection-related HIV risks.
Latkin
Carl
C
Department of Health, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. clatkin@jhsph.edu
Donnell
Deborah
D
Celentano
David D
DD
Aramrattna
Apinun
A
Liu
Ting-Yuan
TY
Vongchak
Tasanai
T
Wiboonnatakul
Kanokporn
K
Davis-Vogel
Annet
A
Metzger
David
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology* / Q000635:transmission*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016485:Needle Sharing / Q000523:psychology*; D015143:Philadelphia; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012932:Social Facilitation; D012944:Social Support; D012945:Social Values; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013785:Thailand; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult