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

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Behavior patterns can be clarified by both quantitative <strong>and</strong> qualitative<br />

approaches. Qualitative approaches can develop an underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> the<br />

meaning <strong>and</strong> purpose <strong>of</strong> patterns <strong>of</strong> behavior <strong>and</strong>, in combination with<br />

quantitative epidemiology <strong>and</strong> other quantitative approaches, provide an<br />

underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> the behavioral context. Qualitative methods can help<br />

define relevant variables, while quantitative methods determine the<br />

distribution <strong>of</strong> the variables. In quantitative methods, patterns are noted<br />

<strong>and</strong> verified by descriptive <strong>and</strong> inferential statistics; in qualitative<br />

methods, data are examined for concurrence <strong>of</strong> themes <strong>and</strong> consistency<br />

with general propositions or theories.<br />

Through developing an appreciation for the broad spectrum <strong>of</strong> research<br />

approaches, it is possible to design studies that effectively lead to an<br />

underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> contextual issues. However, studies should be designed<br />

to use complementary approaches from the beginning, rather than trying<br />

to add a component when the study is underway. An example <strong>of</strong> this<br />

would be to test an intervention using quantitative analyses <strong>of</strong> outcomes<br />

while ethnographers examine individual <strong>and</strong> social responses, particularly<br />

looking for unanticipated contextual determinants <strong>of</strong> risk maintenance.<br />

Qualitative <strong>and</strong> quantitative methods should not simply be applied in<br />

parallel <strong>and</strong> independent fashion within a study: they should inform each<br />

other. Qualitative data may be analyzed through quantitative methods. A<br />

frequent error <strong>of</strong> quantitative epidemiology, according to the discussion,<br />

is to become so far removed from the data collection process that<br />

meaning gets distorted in the analyses (e.g., through failure to appreciate<br />

the affect in respondents as they selected response options). Further,<br />

some data do not lend themselves to quantitative methods for either<br />

collection or analysis.<br />

THE UNITS OF STUDY AND ANALYSIS MUST BE CAREFULLY<br />

SELECTED AND DEFINED CONSISTENT WITH THE<br />

RESEARCH HYPOTHESES<br />

During the <strong>HIV</strong> epidemic, there has been a general reluctance to shift<br />

from the concept <strong>of</strong> risk groups to underst<strong>and</strong>ing behavioral variation <strong>and</strong><br />

occurrence at the levels <strong>of</strong> the individual, dyad, <strong>and</strong> small group. Studies<br />

<strong>of</strong> patterns <strong>of</strong> how a disease is spread throughout a population do not<br />

sufficiently address the determinants <strong>of</strong> that spread, such as motivations<br />

for engaging in risk behavior, determinants <strong>of</strong> relapse, <strong>and</strong> predictors <strong>of</strong><br />

self-protective behaviors. For example, women are defined <strong>and</strong> studied<br />

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