EVALUATING NEEDLE EXCHANGE - A DESCRIPTION OF CLIENT CHARACTERISTICS,HEALTH-STATUS, PROGRAM UTILIZATION, AND HIV RISK BEHAVIOR

This study was designed to describe demographic and drug use character istics, health status, and HIV-related risk behavior among clients att ending the San Francisco needle exchange program (NEP), and to assess the relationship between NEP utilization and risk behavior. Randomly s elected clients were interviewed when they visited the NEP. Participan ts were of diverse ethnicity, had a mean age of 38.2, and 72% were mal e. Many reported being homeless (25%), unemployed (34%), uninsured (52 %), and having an episode of infectious disease in the past 2 years (3 6%). Clients who received a higher proportion of their needles from th e exchange were less likely to report sharing of needles or rinse wate r. Clients who attended the exchange more frequently were more likely to clean their skin prior to injecting and less likely to use the same needle repeatedly. Frequency of visiting the NEP was not associated w ith the likelihood of sharing needles or rinse water. Efforts to evalu ate needle exchange in the United States will benefit from descriptive reports from other NEP programs, and the use of nonexchange compariso n groups.