Sung-Yeon Kang, PhD¹, Sherry Deren, PhD¹, Hector M. Colon, PhD², Jonny Andia, PhD¹, and Rafaela Robles, EdD³. (1) National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., 71 West 23rd Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10010, 212-845-4457, Kang@NDRI.org, (2) Center for Addiction Studies, Universidad Central del Caribe, PO Box 60327, Bayamon, PR 00960-6032, (3) Center for Addiction Studies, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, PO Box 60327, Bayamon, PR 00960-6032

Objectives: To examine whether change in risk network is related to the cessation of injection drug use. Methods: Puerto Rican injection drug users (IDUs) (n=228), recruited in East Harlem in 1998-1999 were interviewed at baseline (T1) and approximately 42 months later (T2). Network characteristics, e.g., having IDU friends, IDU family members, and crack users in network (no/yes, last 30 days), were compared between T1 and T2. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed using change in drug injection status (yes [T1]-no [T2] vs. yes-yes, last 30 days) as the dependent variable. Results: Sample- Male 75%, mean age 38 (at T1); 65% (N=148) of those injecting at T1 stopped injecting drugs at T2. Injectors who spent time with IDU friends decreased (50%, T1; 39%, T2), and this decrease was associated with cessation of injection drug use at T2 (Chi-square=4.8; p<.05). Those who had crack use network members at T1 but not at T2 tended to stop injecting drugs at T2 (Chi-square=2.9; p<.10). Change in time spent with IDU family members (17%, T1; 11%, T2) was not significantly related to the dependent variable. In multivariate analysis, after controlling for gender and age, those who stopped spending time with IDU friends were more likely than others to stop injecting drugs at T2 (AOR=2.2, CI=.99-4.89, p<.05). Conclusion: The findings suggest that HIV prevention efforts targeting drug injectors should focus on risk network change.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the significant impact of risk network change on cessation of injection drug use among Puerto Rican drug injectors.
• Describe the relationship between change in risk network and cessation of injection drug use.
• Develop drug treatment programs that focus on risk network change.

Keywords: Injecting Drug Use,

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.