HIV risk among women injecting drug users who are in jail

Abstract

Female offender populations and females in jail include large proportions of injecting drug users (IDUs), who are at high risk of contracting or transmitting HIV. Women IDUs (n = 165) were recruited and interviewed at New York City's central jail facility for women. The study examined these women's patterns of HIV risk behaviors related to drugs and sex and identified behavioral and attitudinal correlates of HIV serostatus. The women typically used both injectable and non-injectable drugs prior to arrest, primarily heroin, cocaine powder, crack, and illicit methadone. Self-reported HIV seropositivity was 43%. Variables correlated with HIV serostatus in the bivariate analysis were: cocaine injection frequency; lifetime injection risk behavior; providing oral sex during male crack use; Hispanic ethnicity; sharing of needles/syringes; sharing of cookers; sharing injection equipment with friends; heroin smoking (negative); injection risk acceptance; peer norms and behavior; lifetime sexual risk behavior; frequency of sex with men; provision of sex for money or drugs; and knowing people with AIDS. The first four variables listed retained statistical significance in a multiple logistic regression analysis. The paper considers the need to tailor AIDS prevention interventions for woman IDUs in jail, including taking into account risk behaviors that occur within frequently reported same-sex partnerships.

Educational Attainment but Not Literacy Is Associated with HIV Risk Behavior among Incarcerated Women

“…[19][20][21][22][23][23][24][25] Addictions to drugs and alcohol have been identified as key variables in the propagation of such risks, and an array of prison-based and postincarceration intervention models have been developed and are being evaluated. 19,[26][27][28] It is crucial to determine ways to reduce HIV risk behaviors among incarcerated women returning to the community. Lower educational attainment has been reported as a risk factor for higher rates of HIV risk behavior among female inmates, although evaluation of different educational factors has not been conducted.…”

Injection Risk Behavior among Women Syringe Exchangers in San Francisco

“…Later studies, however, suggested that female and male IDU engaged in injection risk behavior differently (Bennett et al, 2000;Dwyer et al, 1994;Gollub et al, 1998;Miller and Neaigus, 2001) and that risk factors for HIV infection among IDU differed between the sexes (Bruneau et al, 2001;Kral et al, 1997;Strathdee et al, 2001;van Ameijden et al, 1999). Studies reporting exclusively on HIV transmission in female IDU detected additional risk among women of color (Magura et al, 1993;Watters et al, 1994), women who engaged in prostitution (Astemborski et al, 1994;Watters et al, 1994), who were out of drug treatment (Bruneau et al, 2001), and who had a history of sexually transmitted disease Watters et al, 1994). However, far less is known about the determinants of HIV-related risk behavior among female injectors since the establishment in the U.S. of syringe exchange programs (SEPs).…”

Risk Factors for Cervical Cancer in Criminal Justice Settings

“…Women involved in the criminal justice system are likely to be at higher risk for cervical cancer because of a history of multiple sex partners, 26 early parity, trading sex for money or drugs, 27,28 and tobacco use. We designed this study to compare the prevalence of reported abnormal Pap tests in women involved with the criminal justice system in jail and in the community in two Southern cities.…”