HETEROSEXUAL VAGINAL AND ANAL INTERCOURSE AMONGST LONDON HEROIN AND COCAINE USERS

A community-derived sample of 392 heroin users and 145 cocaine users w ere interviewed about their drug use and sexual behaviour, with (optio nal) collection of saliva specimen for linked anonymous HIV/HBV testin g. The heroin sample was stratified (50/50) across current treatment a nd non-treatment status. For cocaine users 80% were not in current con tact with any treatment. Overall levels of sexual activity were severa l times higher than reported in recent national surveys. Last-year pre valence of heterosexual anal intercourse was 23% and 20% for heroin-us ing males and females respectively (last-month figures-12% and 10%); a nd 23% and 15% for cocaine-using males and females respectively (last- month figures-7% and 9%). Two-thirds of subjects rarely or never used condoms during heterosexual anal intercourse. For females, receptive a nal intercourse was positively related to a history of sex-for-money a ctivity, high scores of severity of dependence, and injecting as a cur rent route of use.