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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Holly Hagan, PhD, Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, National Development and Research Institutes, 71 West 23rd, 8th floor, New York, NY 11215, 212-845-4465, hagan@ndri.org and Hanne Thiede, DVM, MPH, HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Program, Public Health - Seattle & King County, 106 Prefontaine Place South, Seattle, WA 98104.
Background: Several studies have reported high prevalence of risk behavior in young or new injection drug users (IDUs), but questions remain regarding the boundaries of a high-risk period for HIV or hepatitis infections in IDUs. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study of 3800 Seattle IDUs was carried out 1994-2000. Preliminary data for 2200 who completed a 12 month follow-up visit (78% of those eligible to have returned for a follow-up) included 190 born after 1970, 626 born 1961-70, 1026 born 1951-60, and 365 born before 1951. Risk behavior and HBV/HCV seroconversion at follow-up was examined for each 10-year birth cohort, and in relation to 10-year intervals of duration of drug injection. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the joint contribution of these time-factors, and to adjust for confounding. Results: Young age was associated with sharing of drug injection equipment (syringes, cookers and cotton), frequency of injection and commercial sex work; cooker/cotton sharing, sex work and frequency of injection also increased as time since first injection increased. Use of needle exchange programs increased in relation to time since first injection, whereas number of sex partners was inversely related to age. Conclusion: This analysis suggests that age alone does not fully explain HIV risk, and that some risks increase over time, after a "high risk period" may be assumed to have passed. Peer norms that characterize the era when drug injection begins, and the progression of drug addiction may also exert an influence on risk behavior.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Drug Injectors, HIV Risk Behavior
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.