The proposed project will: (1) Develop, implement, and evaluate ongoing AIDS education/outreach strategies for IV-drug users (IVDUs) and their sex partners in the Long Beach and South Bay areas. (2) Collect data documenting the extent of HIV infection, drug- usage pattens, and sexual activities of 1,000 to 1,200 IV-drug users and their sex partners each contract year. The NIDA AIDS Assessment Questionnaire will be employed in conjunction with HIV-antibody testing for all study participants. (3) Identify and address unique ethnic minority and gender considerations as they relate to these goals. Specific populations proposed for assessment/intervention are: heterosexual IVDUs, female sex partners of IVDUs, homosexual/bisexuals IVDUs, and adolescent runaways. An important feature of this project is its emphasis on in-depth ethnographic studies of the IVDU and related populations during both the needs-assessment and implementation phases of the project. In addition, these ethnographic studies will prove extremely valuable in the development of specific educational/motivational programs for each of the identified at- risk populations. Intervention development will also be guided by perceptual/attitudinal mediators of successful behavior change. Interventions will be delivered by specially trained outreach workers, who will operate out of a mobile unit and a store-front facility located in an area with a high incidence of IV-drug use. Educational/outreach activities will include: (1) training/support groups for female sex partners of IVDUs; (2) rap center, counseling, and referral for adolescent runaways; (3) one-on-one AIDS-risk-reduction counseling and antibody testing; and (4) street distribution of AIDS information and risk-reduction materials, e.g., referral cards, bleach bottles, condoms, etc. Program effectiveness will be assessed through followup interviews and repeat HIV-antibody testing. Special pre-post evaluations will be conducted of the enhanced programs for individual subpopulations.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Demonstration and Dissemination Projects (R18)
Project #
1R18DA005747-01
Application #
3441519
Study Section
(SRCD)
Project Start
1988-09-30
Project End
1991-08-31
Budget Start
1988-09-30
Budget End
1989-08-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1988
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
California State University Los Angeles
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90032
Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Rhodes, Fen; Desmond, Katherine et al. (2010) Reducing HIV risks among active injection drug and crack users: the safety counts program. AIDS Behav 14:658-68
Rhodes, F; Wolitski, R J; Thornton-Johnson, S (1992) An experiential program to reduce AIDS risk among female sex partners of injection-drug users. Health Soc Work 17:261-72
Corby, N H; Wolitski, R J; Thornton-Johnson, S et al. (1991) AIDS knowledge, perception of risk, and behaviors among female sex partners of injection drug users. AIDS Educ Prev 3:353-66