TY - JOUR
T1 - Drug network characteristics and HIV risk among injection drug users in Russia
T2 - The roles of trust, size, and stability
AU - Cepeda, Javier A.
AU - Odinokova, Veronika A.
AU - Heimer, Robert
AU - Grau, Lauretta E.
AU - Lyubimova, Alexandra
AU - Safiullina, Liliya
AU - Levina, Olga S.
AU - Niccolai, Linda M.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments The work was supported by the Downs Fellowship and Committee on International Health at Yale University, an AIDS International Training and Research Program grant from the NIH Fogarty International Center (5D43TW001028), and by a grant from the Civilian Research and Development Foundation to NGO Stellit and Yale University School of Public Health (RUB-7001-ST-08). The authors are tremendously thankful for all the assistance provided by the research team at NGO Stellit in St. Petersburg.
PY - 2011/7
Y1 - 2011/7
N2 - We investigated the influence of drug network characteristics including trust, size, and stability on HIV risk behaviors and HIV testing among injection drug users (IDUs) in St. Petersburg, Russia. Overall, male and female IDUs who reported having high levels of trust in their drug networks were significantly more likely to share syringes than those with lower levels of trust (OR [95% CI]) 2.87 [1.06, 7.81] and 4.89 [1.05, 21.94], respectively). Male and female IDUs in larger drug networks were more likely to share syringes than those in smaller networks (4.21 [1.54, 11.51] and 4.80 [1.20, 19.94], respectively). Characteristics that were significantly associated with not having been HIV tested included drug network instability among men and larger network size among women. High trust, large size, and instability were positively and significantly associated with syringe sharing and not having been HIV tested. Effectiveness of interventions in Russia to reduce the risk of HIV infection may be enhanced if network characteristics are addressed.
AB - We investigated the influence of drug network characteristics including trust, size, and stability on HIV risk behaviors and HIV testing among injection drug users (IDUs) in St. Petersburg, Russia. Overall, male and female IDUs who reported having high levels of trust in their drug networks were significantly more likely to share syringes than those with lower levels of trust (OR [95% CI]) 2.87 [1.06, 7.81] and 4.89 [1.05, 21.94], respectively). Male and female IDUs in larger drug networks were more likely to share syringes than those in smaller networks (4.21 [1.54, 11.51] and 4.80 [1.20, 19.94], respectively). Characteristics that were significantly associated with not having been HIV tested included drug network instability among men and larger network size among women. High trust, large size, and instability were positively and significantly associated with syringe sharing and not having been HIV tested. Effectiveness of interventions in Russia to reduce the risk of HIV infection may be enhanced if network characteristics are addressed.
KW - Drug networks
KW - HIV
KW - IDU
KW - Russia
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/80052072335
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/80052072335#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1007/s10461-010-9816-7
DO - 10.1007/s10461-010-9816-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 20872063
AN - SCOPUS:80052072335
SN - 1090-7165
VL - 15
SP - 1003
EP - 1010
JO - AIDS and behavior
JF - AIDS and behavior
IS - 5
ER -