Document 0617
 DOCN  M9460617
 TI    AIDS-related risk behavior, knowledge, and beliefs among women and their
       Mexican-American sexual partners who used intravenous drugs.
 DT    9404
 AU    Parra EO; Shapiro MF; Moreno CA; Linn L; Department of Family Practice,
       University of Texas Health Science; Center at San Antonio, School of
       Medicine.
 SO    Arch Fam Med. 1993 Jun;2(6):603-10. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/94163359
 AB    OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk behaviors, knowledge, and beliefs
       regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired
       immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among women and their sexual partners
       who were Mexican-American men who used intravenous drugs. DESIGN: Survey
       of male methadone users and their female sexual partners. PARTICIPANTS
       AND SETTING: Mexican-American male clients at a methadone clinic in Los
       Angeles, Calif, were consecutively recruited for the study. A method
       similar to partner contact tracing was used to identify female subjects.
       One hundred subjects, representing 50 male-female pairs of sexual
       partners, answered identical questionnaires. The responses from females
       were compared with those from their male partners. RESULTS: Seventy-four
       percent of the females disclosed that they used intravenous drugs, and
       88% knew that their male partners were intravenous drug users. Of
       subjects who used intravenous drugs, 73% (27/37) of females and 88%
       (44/50) of males currently injected themselves and shared uncleaned
       needles. Seventy-six percent of females and 84% of males never used a
       condom during the previous year, and about 20% of both sexes had more
       than one sexual partner. Even though most of the females understood how
       HIV was transmitted and recognized themselves as at risk for AIDS, they
       continued to share needles unsafely and place themselves at risk for
       acquiring HIV infection through sex. CONCLUSION: This group of females
       and their male sexual partners engaged in multiple behaviors that may
       contribute to the further propagation of HIV infection.
 DE    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/EPIDEMIOLOGY/*PSYCHOLOGY/
       *TRANSMISSION  Adult  Comparative Study  Cross-Sectional Studies  Female
       Human  *Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice  Los Angeles/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Male
       Methadone/THERAPEUTIC USE  Mexican Americans/*PSYCHOLOGY  *Risk-Taking
       Sex Behavior  *Sexual Partners  Substance Abuse,
       Intravenous/*PSYCHOLOGY/REHABILITATION  Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
       JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).