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Biomedical subjects

A Wodak

Publications and source records attributed to A Wodak.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Structure and measurement of dimensions of risk for HIV transmission in injecting drug users.

Dimensions of HIV infection risks were investigated in 1,245 injecting drug users (IDUs) in Sydney, Australia. Factor analysis of the degree of risk of the 33 items of risk behaviours revealed ten dimensions, which covered the domains of oral sex, withdrawal before ejaculation, protected intercourse, unprotected vaginal intercourse, saliva, blood products, manual sex, needles and syringes, unprotected anal sex, and social transmission. The perceived riskiness of particular activities closely approximated the objectively assessed risk of particular practices. Women assessed the risks of classes of activities (with the exception of oral sex) as being higher than did men. IDUs appear to have readily interpretable and consistent perceptions of HIV transmission risks, and these dimensions have utility for measuring perception and knowledge of HIV transmission risks.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Development and validation of a multi-dimensional instrument for assessing outcome of treatment among opiate users: the Opiate Treatment Index.

This article presents a new instrument with which to assess the effects of opiate treatment. The Opiate Treatment Index (OTI) is multi-dimensional in structure, with scales measuring six independently measured outcome domains: drug use; HIV risk-taking behaviour; social functioning; criminality; health; and psychological adjustment. Psychometric properties of the Index are excellent, suggesting that the OTI is a relatively quick, efficient means of obtaining reliable and valid data on opiate users undergoing treatment over a range of relevant outcome domains.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Taming demons: the reduction of harm resulting from use of illicit drugs.

Restricting availability is the major response to illicit drugs in most Western countries including Australia. Prohibition may reduce harm when the drug in question is in low demand, controls are difficult to subvert, and when similar drugs are less toxic or unavailable. However, the health, social and economic costs of supply reduction are substantial and increasing for both injecting drug users and the general community. Population adjusted mortality of heroin users has doubled in Australia in the last decade. The possible impact of supply reduction policy on the spread of HIV infection among IDUs is an important but largely neglected consideration. The effectiveness of supply restriction policy in decreasing the availability of drugs or in reducing drug-related harm is unlikely to be increased significantly by more vigorous implementation of supply reduction or adoption of new technology. Conversely, on the basis of existing data, greater availability of HIV prevention measures attractive to the target population (including especially drug treatment such as methadone maintenance) is likely to be effective and cost-effective. The costs and benefits of innovative methods of providing currently illicit drugs to those who are determined to use them requires careful evaluation and comparison with existing policies. Policy on illicit drugs in most countries including Australia is still dominated by concern about drug use rather than focused on the need to reduce drug-related problems which is the agreed aim of national drug policy.

Australia↗
PubMed1992

Media sources of HIV/AIDS information in injecting drug users.

We report on media habits of 797 members of a sample of 1245 injecting drug users interviewed in Sydney, Australia. While preferred hours of television viewing and radio listening were similar to those of the general population, the preferred channels and stations were different. These findings could assist in targeting injecting drug users with information about HIV/AIDS prevention. However as the self-regulatory advertising process has constrained broadcast and publication of overt messages directed at homosexual and bisexual men, similar restrictions may prevent optimal mass media approaches to educating this other important group at risk of HIV infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Coping with substance abuse: a many-sided task.

Steady progress is being made towards understanding the use of drugs for non-therapeutic purposes. The associated problems are increasingly regarded as having psychological, biological and social dimensions. There is a growing acceptance that the hazardous consumption of alcohol and other drugs can both result from and exacerbate poor socioeconomic conditions. Sustained action to combat drug-related problems is needed on a broad front; there is no panacea.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1991

The reliability and validity of a scale to measure HIV risk-taking behaviour among intravenous drug users.

The initiation and maintenance of substantial behaviour change is required to reduce the spread of HIV infection among the intravenous drug-using population. In order to ascertain the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing HIV-related risk-taking behaviour among this population, valid and reliable (yet preferably short) instruments for measuring such behaviour are required. The HIV risk-taking behaviour scale (HRBS) is a brief 11-item interviewer-administered scale which examines the behaviour of intravenous drug users in relation to both injecting and sexual behaviour. This paper describes the construction of the scale, in addition to data evaluating its reliability and validity. Initial analyses indicate that the scale has satisfactory psychometric properties.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Estimating drug consumption in opioid users: reliability and validity of a 'recent use' episodes method.

The efficient and accurate measurement of recent drug use is an essential component of treatment and research among opioid users. Urinalysis results alone will not give sufficient information to either the clinician or researcher, due to limitations in detection and an inability to distinguish extent of use. The present paper describes a 'recent use episodes method', adapted from the measurement of alcohol consumption, for obtaining self-reported drug use in eleven different drug categories. Reliability and validity data indicate that the method provides a quick means by which accurate information may be obtained on the overall recent drug use of opioid users.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Sexually transmissible diseases in injecting drug users.

Self-reported histories of sexually transmissible diseases (STDs) and HIV serostatus were investigated as part of a study of HIV risk behaviour in a sample of 1245 Syndey injecting drug users (IDUs) (mean age 27.5 years) both in and out of treatment. A high lifetime prevalence of STDs was reported in both men and women. For male IDUs, the lowest reported lifetime prevalence of STDs was in heterosexuals, with bisexuals intermediate and homosexuals reporting the highest prevalence. HIV seroprevalence followed the same pattern. For women, bisexuals had the highest reported STD history, heterosexual women were intermediate and homosexual women reported the lowest prevalence. Over one third of the bisexual women reported having been involved in prostitution. These data indicate that over one third of IDU men and over half of IDU women reported at least one STD in their lifetime. The high lifetime prevalence of STDs in IDUs indicates that this group is at increased risk of sexual transmission of HIV, given the importance of STDs as a cofactor. Reducing the prevalence of STDs in IDUs is a possible additional strategy to diminish the spread of HIV among IDUs and from them to non-IDU sexual contacts.

Adult↗