Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107211

Daniel J. Pilowsky, MD, MPH¹, Crystal Fuller, MPH, PhD², Bernadette R. Hadden, PhD³, Danielle C. Ompad, PhD⁴, Donald R. Hoover, PhD⁵, and Qi Xia⁵. (1) Mailman School of Public Health-Epidemiology, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Room 1702, New York, NY 10032, 212-3429089, dp14@columbia.edu, (2) Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W. 168th Street, 4th floor, Room 422, New York, NY 10032, (3) School of Social Work, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 129 East 79th, New York, NY 10021, (4) Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029, (5) Statistics Dept & Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 473 Hill Center, 110 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019

In order to study the relationship between the social networks of non-injection drug users (NIDUs) and their high risk sexual behaviors (HRSBs), we street-recruited NIDUs aged 18-35 years, predominantly African-American and Latino. HRSBs studied (focusing on the last 3 months) included having multiple sexual partners, having high risk partners, and unprotected sex. Most of the NIDUs we recruited (index subjects, N=112), and most members of their social networks (N=152), were using alcohol, marijuana, and/or cocaine. We hypothesized that HRSBs would be more prevalent among those with a large drug-using network (number of individuals in the network who use illegal drugs), and those with a large network of recipients of drug support (number of network members receiving drugs from study participants); and less prevalent among those with recovered drug users in their networks. As expected, index subjects with a large drug using network (OR=3.64, p=.003), and those with a large network of recipients of drug support (OR=3.67, p=.003) were more likely to have multiple sexual partners than those we smaller networks. Contrary to expectations, the number of recovered drug users in the network did not have a protective effect (OR=1.11, p=.806). These ORs are adjusted for age, gender and the clustering effect (observations of members of the same network are presumed to be non-independent). These associations were similar among network members (drug-using network, OR=2.00, p=.083; network of recipients of drug support, OR=2.18, p=.057; recovered drug users, OR=1.10, p=.789). These relationships were generally similar when other HRSBs were examined.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session participants will be able to

• Articualte procedures for assessing basic dimensions of social networks
• Understand the relationship between characteristics of social networks of non-injection drug users and HIV-related high risk sexual behaviors
• List at least three characteristics of social networks of non-injection drug users that are associated with HIV-related high risk sexual behaviors

Keywords: Drug Use, HIV Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.