FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH HEROIN USERS AIDS RISK-TAKING BEHAVIORS

A survey was undertaken in Sydney in 1989 to identify factors associat ed with behaviour involving risk for human immunodeficiency virus infe ction. Self-report data on needle-sharing and sexual practices were co llected from 91 heroin users entering a residential, drug-free detoxif ication unit. Data were analysed using polytomous and ordinal logistic regressions. Heroin-dependent subjects who also had a current alcohol problem were significantly more likely than others to report high ris k needle-sharing behaviour. Subjects with more than one sexual partner in the last three months were significantly more likely to use condom s while those with a current benzodiazepine problem were significantly less likely to use condoms. Qualitative data suggest that high risk n eedle-sharing behaviour most often occurred around the time of relapse to injecting drug use and among homeless drug users occupying derelic t buildings in inner-city suburbs.