title: Gender Differences in Factors Related to HIV Risk Behaviors among People Who Inject Drugs in North-East India.
abstract: People who inject drugs (PWID) in India are at high risk for HIV, with women being at elevated risk. Using a socio-ecological framework, this study assessed whether factors associated with HIV transmission risk behaviors differed across men and women PWID. Data for this cross-sectional study were collected from 6449 PWID in 7 cities in Northeast India. Men (n = 5653) and women (n = 796) PWID were recruited using respondent-driven sampling (RDS). We assessed sex differences in two recent HIV transmission risk behaviors: multiple sex partners and needle/syringe sharing. We used multi-level logistic regression models, which incorporated sampling weights and random intercepts for city, to assess factors associated with these HIV risks, separately among men and women. The prevalence of HIV was significantly higher among women than men (53% vs 18.4%, p<0.01). Nearly 13% of men and 8% of women (p = .30) had multiple partners. Employment in men and relationship status and stigma in women were significantly associated with multiple partners. Approximately 25% of men and 19% of women engaged in needle sharing (p = .16). Younger age in women and depression symptoms in men were significantly associated with increased risk for sharing needles. We found that sexual and drug related risk behaviors were common among PWID in Northeast India, and there were differences between men and women in the socio-ecologic correlates of these behaviors. Contextually-integrated and gender-specific HIV prevention and intervention efforts are needed that consider factors at individual, interpersonal- and community-levels that uniquely impact HIV risks among PWID.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Public Health Nursing, School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Bushra
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3258-523X
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sabri
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Allison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: McFall
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.|Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Sunil S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.affiliation: Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Aylur K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Srikrishnan
authors.affiliation: Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Canjeevaram K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Vasudevan
authors.affiliation: Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Santhanam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anand
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Celentano
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Shruti H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.affiliation: Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Suresh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Gregory M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lucas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016485:Needle Sharing; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000523:psychology*