 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
David R. Buchanan, DrPH, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 306 Arnold House, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, 413-545-1005, buchanan@schoolph.umass.edu, Susan Shaw, Hispanic Health Council, 175 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106, and Merrill Singer, PhD, The Hispanic Health Council, 175 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106.
The Syringe Access, Use, & Discard (SAUD) project has collected data on 938 IDUs across 3 sites: New Haven CT, Hartford CT, and Springfield, MA. Data collection included an extensive epidemiological questionnaire, based on a modified AIDS Risk Assessment. In the total sample, 89 have injected crack cocaine, with striking evidence of the migration of this innovative behavior up the I-91 Interstate. This paper presents an analysis of demographic, behavioral, and outcome variables comparing crack injectors (CIs) with non-crack injectors (NCIs). Crack injection is significantly higher among white IDUs than black or Puerto Rican IDUs across all three sites. No gender or age differences. CIs are more likely to have completed high school than NCIs. CIs average 130 injections per month, compared to 90 injections among NCIs. CIs spend almost twice as much money on drugs each month than NCIs. CIs are more likely to inject with others (rather than alone) than NCIs and to have used a used needle in last 30 days than NCIs. CIs engage in risky sexual behaviors at higher rates, including number of partners, frequency of intercourse, unprotected sex, oral sex, anal sex, having sex while high on drugs, and trading sex for drugs. All trends in sexual behaviors are much higher among female CIs. Finally, CIs have higher rates of Hepatitis C (but not Hep B), abscesses, overdoses, STDs, but not HIV. Differences in rates of mental illness and in seeking drug treatment were non-significant, with a slight trend towards higher rates in CIs.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Injecting Drug Use, HIV Risk Behavior
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.