Relationship of HIV testing and high-risk behaviors among clients in methadone maintenance treatment

This article reports on the association between frequency of HIV testing and high-risk behaviors among 339 individuals in the Los Angeles Enhanced Methadone Maintenance Project. Individuals who reported taking three or more HIV tests prior to entering treatment (45% of the sample) were more likely t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIDS education and prevention 1998-10, Vol.10 (5), p.403-416
Main Authors: GRELLA, C. E, CAMPOS, M, ANGLIN, M. D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
Addictive behaviors
Adult
African Americans
AIDS
Behavior Change
Biological and medical sciences
Clients
Condoms
Control Groups
Counseling
Data Interpretation, Statistical
Demonstration Programs
Depression - diagnosis
Drug Injection
Drug Therapy
Drug Use
Ethnic Groups
Female
Health Promotion
Heroin Dependence - rehabilitation
HIV
HIV Infections - transmission
HIV Seropositivity - diagnosis
Human immunodeficiency virus
Human viral diseases
Humans
Infections
Infectious diseases
Injection
Logistic Models
Los Angeles, California
Maintenance
Male
Medical sciences
Medical tests
Methadone
Methadone - therapeutic use
Methadone Maintenance
Minority & ethnic groups
Risk
Risk taking
Sexual Behavior
Sexuality
Sexually transmitted diseases
STD
Substance abuse treatment
Substance Abuse, Intravenous - complications
Test Results
Tests
Viral diseases
Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids
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Summary:This article reports on the association between frequency of HIV testing and high-risk behaviors among 339 individuals in the Los Angeles Enhanced Methadone Maintenance Project. Individuals who reported taking three or more HIV tests prior to entering treatment (45% of the sample) were more likely to know someone who was HIV positive, to engage in illegal activity, to perceive their risk for HIV as high, and to use condoms; they were less likely to disinfect injection equipment; and they scored higher on measures of HIV knowledge and depression as compared with less frequent testers. The strongest predictor of frequent HIV testing (three or more tests) after treatment entry, reported by 43% of the sample, was having a high number of injection-sharing partners. Although a substantial number of individuals in methadone maintenance treatment continued to take HIV tests, test taking was more strongly related to high-risk injection behavior than to sexual behavior.
ISSN:0899-9546
1943-2755