title: The social and environmental context of cross-border drug use in Mexico: findings from a mixed methods study of young injection drug users living in San Diego, CA.
abstract: The authors report the results of qualitative (n = 19) and quantitative (n = 545) interviews with young injection drug users (IDUs) in San Diego, California about their experiences using drugs in Tijuana, Mexico, and associated risks for HIV infection. Young IDUs who have ever traveled to Mexico (n = 365) used a variety of injection (54%) and noninjection (30%) drugs there and appear to be heavier users than those who have never traveled to Mexico. Sociocultural themes influencing drug use in Mexico included interactions among the purpose of travel, drug preference, and route of administration; familiarity with the border region; evolving relationships with the United States and Mexican drug markets; and the experience of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Interventions for IDUs in border regions need to be sensitive to the ethnicity, familiarity with the border region, and life history of participants, as well as differences in national policies that could influence drug use and risk for HIV on both sides of the border.
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 92093, USA. kdwagner@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Karla D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Moynihan
authors.forename: Steffanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Strathdee
authors.forename: Jazmine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cuevas-Mota
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: María Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Zúñiga
authors.forename: Tyson A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Volkmann
authors.forename: Eyasu
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Teshale
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Garfein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D011640:Public Policy; D012306:Risk; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D014195:Travel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult