A COMPARISON OF THE DETERMINANTS OF SAFE INJECTING AND CONDOM USE AMONG INJECTING DRUG-USERS

A sample of 582 injecting drug users were interviewed as part of an ev aluation of an AIDS prevention programme for drug users. This paper ex amines the biographic and predispositional determinants of five HIV pr eventive behaviours-equipment sharing (not receiving and not giving) a nd condom use (with regular partners, casual partners and sex clients) . A two-stage sequential approach was adopted for a logistic regressio n analysis. Initially, to model each of the five preventive behaviours , biographical and drug we variables were entered In a second set of m odels, behavioural predisposition factors were included. Age, drug we and prison experience correlate with variables in both models, althoug h not consistently in the same direction. While a predisposition to re ject sharing correlates with safer injecting and condom use, the predi sposition to safer sex only correlates with condom use. Needle exchang e programmes that only target the individual would seem to be inadequa te. To enhance targeted interventions changes in public and agency pol icy that create a social environment conducive to behaviour change are required.