Abstract
The aim of the current study was to examine the prevalence of HIV, past six-month illicit drug use, and risk behaviors among a population of heavy drug users living in an urban setting. Although many studies investigate substance use, sex-risk behavior, and HIV by race and gender, no studies have examined these variables simultaneously. The current study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by exploring HIV prevalence among a predominantly heterosexual sample of recent substance users by injection drug use (IDU) status, race, and sex. Baseline data from the Baltimore site of the NEURO-HIV epidemiologic study was used in this study. This study examines neuropsychological and social-behavioral risk factors of HIV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C among both injection and non-injection drug users. Descriptive statistics and chi-square statistics were used in data analyses. Blood and urine samples were obtained to test for the presence of recent drug use, viral hepatitis, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Findings presented here have several important implications for HIV prevention and care among substance users. Intervention programs that incorporate substance use treatment in addition to HIV education, particularly with respect to substance use and sex risk behavior are imperative.
Highlights
Early Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence research in the United States has focused on two high-risk categories: injection drug users (IDUs) [1,2,3,4,5,6,7] and men who have sex with men (MSM) [8,9,10,11,12,13]
The aim of the current study was to examine the prevalence of HIV, past six-month illicit drug use, and risk behaviors among a population of heavy drug users living in an urban setting
This study examines neuropsychological and social-behavioral risk factors of HIV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C among both injection and non-injection drug users
Summary
Early HIV prevalence research in the United States has focused on two high-risk categories: injection drug users (IDUs) [1,2,3,4,5,6,7] and men who have sex with men (MSM) [8,9,10,11,12,13]. As of 2006 in Baltimore City, Maryland, 2454.7 individuals per 100,000 were living with HIV/AIDS with an annual incidence of approximately 37.7 cases per 100,000, ranking the city second among metropolitan areas in the United States. IDUs represent a high-risk group for HIV transmission that may bridge the gap to lower-risk populations, such as non-injection drug users (NIDUs) [19,20], through sex-risk behaviors [22]. Research has begun to focus on the prevalence of HIV infection among substance users generally, WJA
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