RELIABILITY OF SELF-REPORTED HIV RISK BEHAVIORS OF DRUG-USERS

In AIDS research, relatively little attention has been paid to reliabi lity of self-report of drug users. The authors examined the test-retes t reliability of the Risk Behavior Assessment (NIDA 1991) questionnair e. This structured-interview questionnaire was administered twice to 1 96 drug users in 5 cities over a 48-hr period. Findings indicated that respondents consistently self-report drug use, injection practices, a nd sexual behaviors; discrepancies do not appear to reflect systematic decreases or increases in self-report; unreliability is associated wi th poorly worded questions and respondent characteristics; and discrep ant reports warrant attention in analysis and interpretation of data. Measurement error has implications for estimating risks, understanding relationships between behavior and HIV transmission, and interpreting change after interventions. Items with low reliability have been revi sed, and further reliability studies are examining whether revisions h ave led to improved reliability.