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Summarizing high-risk drug use behavior for HIV infection among intravenous drug users
Abstract
Intravenous drug use is now associated with one-third of all new AIDS cases reported in the U.S. Factors associated with HIV transmission among intravenous drug users (IVDUs) include the frequency of sharing of injection equipment, the sharing of injection equipment in shooting galleries and cocaine use. Research in this area has been hampered by methodologic problems including difficulties in the selection of drug-use variables to measure and analytic problems associated with the highly intercorrelated nature of drug-use behaviors. This research considers the use of summary or composite variables in studies of HIV infection and in the evaluation of risk reduction programs targeted at IVDUs. Specifically, the research examines the use of two methods of summarizing high risk behaviors for HIV infection; an 'empirical' method based on the input from expert judges and a 'statistical' method based on Principal Components and Factor Analysis. Eight summary variables based on these methods were contrasted and their association with HIV infection considered in a population of 396 IVDUs recruited through a drug detoxification program and 386 IVDUs recruited through a county jail in Worcester, Massachusetts. Major study findings include the identification of statistical summary variables representing sharing behavior, duration of IV drug use, the frequency of injecting drugs at home, and cocaine use. Each of these dimensions was associated with HIV infection in the IVDU population enrolled in the drug program while the duration of IV drug use, the frequency of injection, and cocaine use were associated with HIV infection in the jail population. Empirical summary variables summarized some, but not all, of the dimensions of IV drug use represented by the statistical summaries. In each population one of the empirical summary variables was identified as the best single predictor of HIV infection although these relationships were not generalizable to the other population.
Subject Area
Public health
Recommended Citation
Morrison, Charles Sidney, "Summarizing high-risk drug use behavior for HIV infection among intravenous drug users" (1991). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9207442.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9207442