Factors associated with recruiting an HIV seropositive risk network member among injection drug users

Using a social network approach to recruitment, we analyzed the factors that predicted recruitment of an HIV seropositive network member by active injection drug users (IDUs). IDUs were asked to bring in drug and sex network members, whom they delineated on a social network inventory. The 297 index participants recruited 425 networks, of whom 17.3% were seropositive. The majority of seropositive members were recruited by IDUs who reported no seropositive risk network members. The strongest predictor of recruiting seropositives was ethnicity, with African American indexes more than 3 times more likely than others to recruit seropositives as compared to other ethnic groups. Those African American indexes who reported that they had no seropositive network members were over 10 times more likely to recruit a seropositive. These results suggest the feasibility to target active drug users to recruit seropositives and emphasize the public health importance of focusing network approaches on the networks of African American IDUs.