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Effects of an intervention program on AIDS-related drug and needle behavior among intravenous drug users.

R C Stephens, T E Feucht and S W Roman

Department of Sociology, Cleveland State University, OH 44115.

BACKGROUND: Behaviors which entail high risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among intravenous drug users can be significantly reduced through educational intervention. METHODS: The educational intervention was conducted by a health educator in a one-on-one format and provided information about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and strategies for reducing the risk of infection. Risk was assessed prior to the intervention and was compared to a follow-up assessment obtained approximately three months later (n = 322). RESULTS: The percentage who reported using drugs intravenously decreased from 92.2 to 70.5, and the percentage who reported sharing syringes dropped from 67.4 to 24.3. Reductions of these and other high-risk behaviors were detected across various demographic subgroups, and analyses show that the impact of the intervention endured for several months. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that intravenous drug users conform to a model of rational choice when confronted with accurate information about the devastating consequences of HIV infection.

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