 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Farzana Kapadia, MPH1, Mary Latka, PhD1, Holly Hagan, PhD2, Sharon M. Hudson, PhD3, and David Vlahov, PhD1. (1) Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10029, 212-419-3511, fkapadia@nyam.org, (2) NDRI, 71 West 23rd, 8th floor, New York, NY 10010, (3) Health Research Association, 3580 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1660, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Objective: To examine differences in HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) knowledge among young injection drug users (IDUs) recruited from Los Angeles, New York City and Seattle. Methods: These data (n=774) come from the Collaborative Injection Drug Users Studies-III/DUIT, a multi-site study that recruited IDUs aged 15-30. Knowledge scores were derived from correct responses to 9 questions about HIV and 6 about HCV. The outcome is the average percentage of correct responses across the set of questions for each disease. Separate linear regression models were used to identify correlates of correct HIV and HCV knowledge. Results: Mean HIV and HCV knowledge scores were similar to each other, but differed by site. New York averaged lowest on both HIV and HCV knowledge (mean HIV score = 64.2, mean HCV score = 67.8) compared to Los Angeles (mean HIV score = 72.4, mean HCV score = 70.2) and Seattle (mean HIV score = 75.0, mean HCV score = 78.3). After controlling for site, educational status was associated with HIV knowledge (p=0.002). Educational status (p=0.04), gender (p=0.005), and use of a needle exchange program (NEP) (p= 0.008) were associated with HCV knowledge. Conclusion: While the HIV and HCV epidemics are in different stages, knowledge about them was at similar levels within each site. Needle exchange programs are a particularly good source of HCV knowledge, suggesting that together with existing education and prevention programs, they provide a unique and easily accessible source of information on emerging health problems for this hard to reach population.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.