Migration and HIV Risk Behaviors: Puerto Rican Drug Injectors in New York City and Puerto Rico

Deren, Sherry; Kang, Sung Yeon; Colón, Héctor M.; Andia, Jonny; Robles, Rafaela R.; Oliver-Velez, Denise; Finlinson, Ann

doi:10.2105/ajph.93.5.812

Cited by 67 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…For those IDUs recruited in NY, if they had used drugs regularly in PR before coming to NY, they were more likely to be risky in IDU behaviors, as previously reported. 3 This finding is likely related to the reduced access to risk reduction services in PR (e.g., drug treatment and needle exchange), resulting in riskier behaviors (evidenced when they migrate to NY). For those recruited in PR, having used drugs in NY was not related to risk in PR; although the risk reduction service network is greater in NY, because tools for risk reduction are not available in PR, lower-risk behaviors may be difficult to maintain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the movement of high-risk drug users from a resource-poor environment (in terms of availability of risk-reduction resources such as drug treatment) to an environment with more health care resources has been related to lowered risk behaviors. 3 Other studies have found that migrants may report more sexual partners than nonmigrants, but they were also more likely to use condoms. 4 Thus, migration has been found to be related to both increases and decreases in HIV-related risk behaviors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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The Puerto Rico–New York Airbridge for Drug Users: Description and Relationship to HIV Risk Behaviors

et al. 2007

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This study examined mobility on the airbridge between New York (NY) and Puerto Rico (PR) for Puerto Rican drug users and its relationship to HIV risk. Over 1,200 Puerto Rican injection drug users (IDUs) and crack smokers were recruited by outreach workers in NY and PR; interview data included questions on mobility (lifetime residences and recent trips). Two-thirds of the NY sample had lived in PR; one-quarter of the PR sample had lived in NY; the most commonly sited reasons for moving were family-related. Fewer than 10% had visited the other location in the prior 3 years. Variables related to risk were number of moves, recent travel, and having used drugs in PR (all with p G 0.05). Implications included the need to enhance risk reduction efforts for IDUs in PR and address sexual risk among mobile drug users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Puerto Rico–New York Airbridge for Drug Users: Description and Relationship to HIV Risk Behaviors

et al. 2007

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“…The data collection instrument designed for this study was modeled after questionnaires previously used in household studies in Puerto Rico. The questions were based on the questionnaire developed by the ARIBBA (Alliance for Research in El Barrio, New York, and Bayamón) Project, a study that evaluated factors that influenced risk behaviors among Puerto Rican injection drug users 19. Two field managers visited every selected occupied household, where subjects that agreed to participate in the study completed the following procedures:1 informed consent and pretest counseling;2 a personal interview to obtain information about sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, tattooing and body piercing practices, knowledge on viral infections, and self‐report of hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccination;3 an audio computer‐assisted self‐interview to ascertain cigarette and alcohol use, drug use, sex‐related risk behaviors, and history of incarceration; and4 collection of blood and urine samples.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori in Hispanics living in Puerto Rico: A population‐based study

et al. 2017

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Background Helicobacter pylori is an important etiologic factor for peptic ulcers and gastric cancer, one of the top ten leading causes of cancer death in Puerto Rico. However, the prevalence of H. pylori infections in this population was previously unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the seroprevalence of H. pylori and its associated risk factors in Puerto Rico.Materials and MethodsA cross‐sectional study was designed using an existing population‐based biorepository. Seropositivity was determined using the Premier™ H. pylori immunoassay. Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence was estimated with 95% confidence using marginal standardization following logistic regression. To assess the risk factors associated with H. pylori seropositivity, a multivariable log‐binomial model was fitted to estimate the prevalence ratio (PR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI).ResultsA total of 528 population‐based serum samples were analyzed. The mean age of the study population was 41 ± 12 years, of whom 55.3% were females. The overall seroprevalence of H. pylori was 33.0% (95% CI = 28.3%‐38.1%). Increasing age and having <12 years of education were significantly (P < .05) associated with H. pylori seropositivity in the multivariable model; however, residing in counties with low population density reached marginal significance (P = .085).ConclusionsWe report that H. pylori infection is common among Hispanics living in Puerto Rico. The H. pylori seroprevalence observed in Puerto Rico is similar to the seroprevalence reported in the overall population of the United States. The association between H. pylori seroprevalence and the risk factors analyzed offers insight into the epidemiology of gastric cancer in Puerto Rico and warrants further investigation.

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“…Siegal et al, 1 for example, found that an important predictor of seropositivity among IDUs in Ohio was having traveled to an AIDS epicenter (New York City). Deren and colleagues found that New York Puerto Rican injection drug users (IDUs) who had lived and injected in Puerto Rico before coming to New York evidenced riskier behaviors than New York Puerto Rican IDUs who had not injected in Puerto Rico 2,3 and that Dominican drug users who had traveled to New York City were more likely to be drug injectors. 4 Within this context, immigration continues to be a major factor in the health and social life of NYC with important implications for the HIV epidemic and for the city_s AIDS policies and programs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immigration and HIV/AIDS in the New York Metropolitan Area

et al. 2006

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Because the HIV pandemic undergoes continual change in its locations and affected populations, it is crucial to study HIV risk behaviors among mobile and immigrant groups within and across borders. The impact of cross-cultural migrations and the importance of studying that impact in terms of demographic characteristics as well as cultural and environmental factors has not received adequate attention in public health research. This collaborative analysis utilizes data from three studies of immigrant groups in New York to describe and compare these factors that provide the context for risk and prevention of HIVAIDS and other health challenges. Data discussed were obtained utilizing multi-method approaches to identify and describe HIV risks among both new and more established immigrant populations within the urban settings of North America, with NYC as a central focus. Demographic and epidemiological data situate the analysis within the larger contexts of US migration and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in NYC. The authors identify risk and protective factors embedded to varying degrees in immigrants_ multiple cultures and sub-cultures. The three populations studied include: 1) new Hispanic immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Central America; 2) West Indian (Caribbean) immigrants from Jamaica, Trinidad/ Tobago and other anglophone Caribbean nations; and 3) South Asian immigrants from India (Indian Americans). The paper seeks differences and commonalities, focusing on the social, attitudinal and behavioral factors that contribute to increased HIV/AIDS vulnerability among these populations. The data presented also identify some of the attitudes and behaviors of individuals and groups, as well as other facilitators and obstacles to transmission for immigrants as they adapt to new environments. Topics addressed include factors affecting HIV/AIDS vulnerability of immigrant groups, goals and expectations, health and mental heath issues, gender role change, sexual risk, alcohol and other drug use, perception of HIV/AIDS risk and implications for prevention.

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Migration and HIV Risk Behaviors: Puerto Rican Drug Injectors in New York City and Puerto Rico

Abstract: Intervention services are needed that target mobile populations who are coming from an environment of high-risk behavior to one of low-risk behavior.

Cited by 67 publications

References 13 publications

The Puerto Rico–New York Airbridge for Drug Users: Description and Relationship to HIV Risk Behaviors

The Puerto Rico–New York Airbridge for Drug Users: Description and Relationship to HIV Risk Behaviors

Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori in Hispanics living in Puerto Rico: A population‐based study

Immigration and HIV/AIDS in the New York Metropolitan Area

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