Increasingly, injection drug users (IDUs) engage in "secondary syringe exchange" (SSE), distributing syringes from syringe exchange programs (SEPs) to other IDUs who do not themselves attend SEPs. We interviewed 25 SSE providers to investigate the social contexts and motivations surrounding SSE and conducted a pilot study of a peer intervention to mobilize SSE providers to provide their syringe recipients with education and support for risk reduction.
The 25 SSE providers reported a total of 134 recipients with whom they had relationships beyond providing syringes (range=1-13 recipients/provider; median=5). They described close, long-term relationships, lasting a median of 7.5 years (range=<1->40 years). Their reasons for providing syringes included friendship (48%), the recipients' needs (44%), altruism (24%), disease prevention (20%), self-interest (20%), and convenience (12%).
Ten SSE providers participated in a session in which they developed a safer injection slogan to disseminate to their SSE recipients. One week later, 21 of their recipients were interviewed and tested for their knowledge and understanding of the slogan. Of the 21, all (100%) reported having discussed safer injection with their SSE provider in the previous week; 15 (70%) recited the risk reduction slogan verbatim, and an additional 3 (14%) repeated it partially or in a slightly altered fashion.
Secondary syringe exchange providers provide syringes to other IDUs with whom they have long-standing relationships, in order to help them and prevent disease transmission. SSE providers can be mobilized to provide prevention education and support to other IDUs. We plan to implement and evaluate such a peer mobilization intervention.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to identify the social contexts and motivations surrounding secondary syringe exchange (SSE) and assess the acceptability and feasibility of a peer intervention aimed at mobilizing SSE providers to provide education and support for HIV risk reduction to their SSE recipients
Keywords: Injection Drug Users, Peer Education
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.