Demographic characteristics, risk behaviors, and HIV seroprevalence among intravenous drug users by site of contact: results from a community-wide HIV surveillance project.

We investigated differences in behaviors important for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission and HIV antibody status among 927 recent needle users enrolled in a multi-site HIV surveillance project in Worcester, Massachusetts. Subjects were enrolled at drug abuse treatment centers reported less risky injection practices unexplained by demographic variables. Risky sexual practices were in general reported more frequently by men at the jail than men at other sites. However, HIV status showed little relation to enrollment site. These results have implications both for targeting of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention programs to needle users not in drug abuse treatment and for potential selection bias in studies of intravenous drug users.