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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Mahboobeh Safaeian, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, 627 North Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, 410-955-4397, msafaeia@jhsph.edu, Meg Doherty, MD PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, Crystal Fuller, MPH, PhD, Division of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 622 W. 168th Street, PH 18-120, New York, NY 10032, Susan G. Sherman, MPH, PhD, Department of Health Policy and Management, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 1629 E. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21231, Danielle C. Ompad, MHS, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Infectious Diseases Program, 627 N. Washington Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, David Vlahov, PhD, Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10029, and S.A. Strathdee, PhD, School Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 North Wolfe Street, E6010, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Objective: To identify correlates of HIV infection among young, new initiates to injection in Baltimore.
Methods: IDUs aged 18-29 were studied in 3 consecutive waves from 1994-2000, using similar recruitment strategies and interviewer-administered surveys. Logistic regression was used to identify correlates of HIV infection overall and stratified by gender, adjusting for calendar time.
Results: Of 676 IDUs, 49% were male; 52% were African-American [AA]. Median age and age at first injection were 24 and 21 years, respectively. HIV prevalence was 9% overall, higher among females than males (12% vs. 6%, p=0.01), AA vs. non-AA (14% vs. 4%, p<0.001) and MSM vs. non-MSM (12% vs. 1%, p=0.001). Participants who transitioned to injection within 12 months were more likely to be HIV+ than those with longer transitions (20% vs. 10%, p=0.02). Overall, factors independently associated with HIV infection included: being female (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]=2.5; p=0.008), age >25 years (AOR=2.0; p=0.009), history of STDs (AOR=2.8; p=0.02), ever injecting cocaine/speedballs (AOR=2.2; p=0.008) and identifying as MSM (AOR=19.9; p=<0.0001). Among women, history of STDs (AOR=2.4; p=0.04), ever injecting cocaine/speedballs (AOR=4; p=0.01) and having an HIV+ steady sex partner (AOR=10.6; p=0.02) were associated with HIV. Among men, being AA (AOR=14; p=0.0006), age > 25 (AOR=4; p=0.03), ever injecting speedball (AOR=6; p=0.03), needle-sharing (AOR=11.2; p=0.002) and identifying as MSM (AOR=56; p=<0.0001) were associated with HIV infection.
Conclusions: Interventions to reduce sexual and parenteral transmission risks among young, new injectors are urgently needed, especially among women, MSM and AAs. Interventions are also needed to discourage transition from non-injection to injection drug use.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: HIV Risk Behavior, Injection Drug Users
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.