NCJ Number
137912
Journal
AIDS Education and Prevention Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1992) Pages: 71-83
Date Published
1992
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Data were obtained on drug history and related behaviors, sexual behaviors, knowledge, and attitudes about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and AIDS to examine the relationship between cocaine use and HIV infection and transmission in a sample of 167 male cocaine users admitted during a 5-month period to an inpatient drug treatment program.
Abstract
The findings suggest that intravenous drug users (IVDU's) and nonintravenous (IV) cocaine users were likely to contribute to the spread of HIV in several populations. Approximately 20 percent of the sample had used IV drugs in the year prior to the interview, and 94 percent of this group reported sharing needles. In regard to sexual practices, 7 percent of the total sample reported sex with other males in the year prior to the interview, 86 percent of the total sample reported having sex with females, and 80 percent of this latter group indicated they never or rarely used condoms during vaginal sex. The respondents generally did not perceive themselves to be at high risk for HIV infection and continued to engage in acknowledged high-risk behaviors. 7 tables and 48 references