title: Injection and sexual risk practices among young heroin users in Hanoi, Vietnam.
abstract: Epidemiological data in Vietnam shows high HIV prevalence rates among injection drug users, especially in urban centres. However, there are limited data on specific practices used to prepare and inject drugs or on sexual practices among Vietnamese injectors. A street-based cross-sectional interview was conducted with 862 heroin injectors in Hanoi, Vietnam, to collect such data. Variability was seen in both injection and sexual risk, with 12.9% of current injectors reporting at least one unsafe method of drug sharing and 57.1% reporting unsafe sex in the past 30 days. These risks were strongly associated with those who engaged in unsafe injection significantly more likely to engage in unsafe sex (69.4% vs. 55.3%) and those engaging in unsafe sex significantly more likely to engage in unsafe injection (15.7% vs. 9.2%). These findings highlight the overlap of injection and sexual risk practices among Vietnamese heroin users and suggest the need for strong, broadly targeted HIV prevention activities among this population.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Lloyd A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Goldsamt
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Clatts
authors.affiliation: Center for Research and Training on HIV/AIDS, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Giang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Le
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yu
keywords: Heroin; injection drug use; sexual risk; youth