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

Abstract #111390

Jesus Sanchez, PhD, Robert Stempel School of Public Health, Florida International University, 11200 S.W. 8th Street, HLS-574, Miami, FL 33199, 305-348-1811, Jesus.Sanchez@fiu.edu, Dale D. Chitwood, PhD, Sociology Research Center, University of Miami, 5665 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 33146, and Dixie Koo, MS, Department of Sociology, University of Miami, 5665 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Parking Garage Bldg., 1st Floor, Coral Gables, FL 33146-0719.

The purpose of this study is to extend existing knowledge on the effect of personal networks on HIV-related risk behaviors, particularly, the transition from heroin sniffing to injection. A stratified network based sample of 900 heroin users was recruited from 1997 to 1999 from communities in South Florida known for high drug use. The original sample included a nested case-control study of 300 heroin sniffers who had never injected a drug and 300 short-term injectors who had initiated injection within four years prior to recruitment into the study. After screening for eligibility, which included a urine test to confirm current drug use, participants were administered a structured questionnaire that included basic sociodemographic information, drug use history, personal network, and lifestyle (including HIV risk behavior practices) characteristics. Logistic regression was utilized to identify those personal network characteristics that make a heroin sniffer more likely to transition to heroin injection. Personal network size, presence of heroin injectors in personal network, having sexual partners who were injectors, and living with injectors increased the likelihood of transition to heroin injection. Personal network characteristics constitute risk factors for the transition to heroin injection independent of those individual risk behaviors traditionally highlighted by studies and prevention interventions. Despite an established base of network research developed over the last decade, the full potential of network-based approaches for understanding and preventing drug abuse and disease transmission has yet to be realized.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants in this session will learn about the effect of a set of personal network characteristics associated with transition to injection drug use. Participants will be able to evaluate and disscus the effect of personal networks on changes in route of drug administration. At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to identify key personal network variables associated with transition to injection which, often times, are not considered by intervention strategies.

Keywords: Drug Use, Intravenous Drug Use

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.