Factors Associated with HIV Testing and Returning for Test Results in a Sample of Out-of-Treatment Drug Users

• NCJ Number: 185211
• Journal: Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 30 Issue: 3 Dated: Summer 2000 Pages: 675-685
• Author(s): Kristine Ziek; Marjorie F. Goldstein; Mark Beardsley; Sherry Deren; Stephanie Tortu
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 11 pages
• Grant Number(s): U01DA07286
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examines demographic and behavioral factors related to taking an HIV test and returning for results.

Abstract

The study examined a sample of out-of-treatment intravenous drug users and crack smokers (N=1,682) recruited from the streets of East Harlem, New York City. Subjects with less than a high school education who reported no previous HIV test and who were older were more likely to test with the project. Returning for HIV test results was associated with being older and having a high school education. Subjects who had never been in prison and who had never exchanged sex for money or drugs were less likely to return for test results. Efforts to convey the importance of testing and returning for results must continue in at-risk drug use populations, especially among youth and other high-risk sub-populations. Interventions that have been useful in reaching high-risk drug users and reducing their risk behaviors (e.g., outreach strategies and low-threshold interventions such as needle exchange programs) should be assessed for their utility in encouraging testing and return for testing results among younger drug users and others who are less likely to test and return for test results. Tables, references