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

Abstract #116140

Sung-Yeon Kang, PhD¹, Sherry Deren, PhD¹, Hector M. Colón, PhD², and Rafaela Robles, EdD². (1) National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., 71 West 23rd Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10010, 212-845-4457, Kang@NDRI.org, (2) Center for Addiction Studies, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, PO Box 60327, Bayamón, PR 00960-6032

Background: Puerto Rican drug users (PRDUs) have been found to be at high risk for HIV. HIV-related injection risk behaviors (HIRB) among PRDUs (IDUs and crack smokers) recruited in New York based on where they started using drugs (PR vs. NY) were compared. Methods: PRDUs (N=928) residing in NY were recruited in 1998-1999 and 2002-2003 using street outreach methods. HIRB (injection drug use, shooting gallery use, syringe sharing, and other injection paraphernalia sharing) was compared between the two groups, using chi-square, t-tests, and multiple logistic regressions. All HIRB were prior 30-day behaviors. Results: 73% male; mean age=38.3 years (sd=7.5); 24% started using drugs in PR; 68% injected drugs (prior 30 days). More injectors were found among those who started using drugs in PR than in NY (84% vs. 63%; chi-square=33.8; p<.001). Of the injectors, those who initiated drug use in PR were more likely than others to use shooting galleries (30% vs. 14%; chi-square=23.4; p<.001); to have lower self-efficacy regarding drug injection risks (p<.05); to share other injection paraphernalia (39% vs. 28%; chi-square=7.8; p<.01). No differences in syringe sharing (12% PR; 11% NY) and norms regarding injection equipment sharing were found. In multiple logistic regressions, where PRDUs first used drugs was independently related to HIRB (injection drug use; shooting gallery use, and other injection paraphernalia sharing). Conclusions: Development of an intervention that particularly targets PRDUs in NY who started using drugs in PR is needed.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize that where drug users initiated drug use has a significant impact on their later injection risk behaviors
• Describe differences in injection risk behaviors among Puerto Rican drug users who first used drugs in PR versus NY
• Develop HIV prevention programs for drug using migrants

Keywords: Injecting 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.