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The Context of HIV Risk Among Drug Users and Their Sexual Partners

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Hispanics were less likely to report risky sexual behaviors compared with<br />

whites. Odds ratios for <strong>HIV</strong> seropositivity were significantly higher for<br />

Hispanics compared with whites <strong>and</strong> maintained marginal significance<br />

for African Americans compared with whites when adjusted for risk<br />

behaviors <strong>and</strong> demographic variables. <strong>The</strong>se results, indicating variations<br />

in risk behaviors across race/ethnicity groups, are supported by other<br />

studies. Guydish <strong>and</strong> colleagues (1990) reported that African-American<br />

IDUs in a San Francisco sample were less likely to share needles than<br />

whites.<br />

Studies <strong>of</strong> <strong>HIV</strong> prevalence among IDUs have demonstrated varying<br />

racial/ethnic patterns dependent on the geographic area <strong>and</strong><br />

subpopulation sampled. It is likely that risk behaviors also vary by<br />

geographic area <strong>and</strong> subpopulation. <strong>The</strong> finding that Hispanics <strong>and</strong> non-<br />

Hispanic African Americans in the United States share a disproportionate<br />

burden <strong>of</strong> <strong>HIV</strong> infection is perhaps due to the earlier onset <strong>of</strong> the <strong>HIV</strong><br />

epidemic in African-American <strong>and</strong> Hispanic IDU populations. That is,<br />

while risk behaviors observed across race/ethnicity groups may be<br />

comparable, the increased probability <strong>of</strong> contact with an infected person<br />

may be an independent risk factor for African Americans <strong>and</strong> Hispanics.<br />

Behavioral, cultural, <strong>and</strong> socioeconomic differences within racial/ethnic<br />

groups need to be examined in further studies. Serrano (1990) has<br />

described Puerto Rican IDUs. <strong>The</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> <strong>HIV</strong> at the neighborhood<br />

level is described as devastating. Preventing AIDS within minorities is<br />

proposed within the context <strong>of</strong> several well-defined communities, such as<br />

the family, <strong>and</strong> entails the development <strong>of</strong> community resources to deal<br />

with many complex problems. Marin (1990) described non-Puerto Rican<br />

Hispanics <strong>and</strong> AIDS prevention efforts that use culturally appropriate<br />

interventions.<br />

SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIORS<br />

Feucht <strong>and</strong> colleagues (1990) described the sexual behavior <strong>of</strong> IDUs.<br />

Most male IDUs are sexually active <strong>and</strong> heterosexual, <strong>and</strong> significant<br />

proportions have multiple female partners. In this sample, while white<br />

males were about as likely to have an IDU partner as a non-IDU partner,<br />

only a third <strong>of</strong> the African-American males reported having a female IDU<br />

partner during the preceding year, while 85 percent reported having a<br />

female non-IDU partner. African-American males were more likely than<br />

white males to have sex with a non-IDU female <strong>and</strong> were more likely<br />

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