title: Conducting peer outreach to migrants: outcomes for drug treatment patients.
abstract: Peer outreach models have been successful in addressing HIV risk behaviors of drug users. Patients in methadone maintenance treatment programs who were migrants from Puerto Rico and/or familiar with drug use there were trained to conduct HIV-related peer outreach. A group randomized design was implemented; patients in the Experimental (E) condition (n = 80) received training and conducted 12 weeks of outreach. Half of the patients completed the training and outreach. At follow-up, patients in the E condition who conducted outreach felt they were more helpful to their community, showed a trend for engaging in more vocational activities, and were more likely to talk with others about HIV, compared to those who did not conduct outreach and those in the Control condition (n = 78). Drug treatment patients who are migrants can be trained as peer outreach workers and short-term benefits were found. Longer term maintenance of benefits should be assessed.
authors.affiliation: NYU College of Nursing, New York, NY 10003, USA. shd2@nyu.edu
authors.forename: Sherry
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deren
authors.forename: Sung-Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Milton
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mino
authors.forename: Honoria
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guarino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment / Q000379:methods*; D010379:Peer Group; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000208:ethnology; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012944:Social Support; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009294:Narcotics; D008691:Methadone