Interferon-alpha plus zidovudine in HIV infection.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Biomedical subjects
B R Edlin
Publications and source records attributed to B R Edlin.
High-risk sex behavior among young street-recruited crack cocaine smokers in three American cities: an interim report. The Multicenter Crack Cocaine and HIV Infection Study Team.
Since crack cocaine appeared in urban areas in the United States in the mid-1980s, reports have suggested that crack smokers may be at increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including infection with HIV, because they have multiple sex partners, trade sex for money or drugs, and rarely use condoms. A cross-sectional survey is being conducted in urban neighborhoods in Miami, New York and San Francisco--where crack use is common--to explore these issues. Indigenous street outreach workers are recruiting men and women who are either current regular crack smokers or who have never smoked crack; each group is further stratified according to whether participants had ever injected drugs. Participants were interviewed about their sexual and drug-use practices. Overall, crack smokers, whether injectors or not, engaged in higher-risk sexual behaviors than nonsmokers, reported greater numbers of sex partners than nonsmokers, and were more likely than nonsmokers to have exchanged sex for money or drugs or to have had an STD. Differences between crack smokers and nonsmokers were generally greater among non-injectors than among injectors, and generally greater among women than among men. Condom use, although somewhat more common with paying than nonpaying partners, was infrequent overall. Most of the subjects had not been in substance abuse treatment in the preceding 12 months, and a majority had never been in substance abuse treatment. Education and prevention programs specifically targeted at crack smokers not currently in substance abuse treatment are needed to reach these high-risk persons.
Adult↗
Crack cocaine use and sexual activity in Miami, Florida.
Data are analyzed from the Multicenter Study of Crack Cocaine and HIV Infection in Miami, Florida, examining interrelationships among use of crack cocaine, use of other drugs, sexual activity, and exchange of sex for money and drugs. This study was designed to recruit two groups of approximately equal size: persons who reported current use of crack cocaine three or more times per week, and those who had never used crack. Participants (N = 641) were recruited in Miami. Participants' median age for first use of crack cocaine was higher than for use of alcohol, marijuana or powdered cocaine. It was also higher than participants' ages at first sexual activity, and somewhat higher than the median age for reporting initiation of trading sex for money or drugs. The median age of first crack use was lower among younger participants, suggesting that crack use in older participants followed quickly upon availability of the drug. Crack users reported reduced desire for sex and diminished ability to have sex after smoking crack. However, crack use was associated with increased sexual activity, trading sex for money or drugs, and sex with multiple partners. Participants who traded sex for money or drugs (traders) reported higher rates of condom use than nontraders; however, neither traders nor nontraders reported rates of condom use sufficient to substantially reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection.
Adolescent↗
Sex trading and psychological distress in a street-based sample of low-income urban men.
This article examines the relationship between sex trading and psychological distress and assesses sexual human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors and HIV seroprevalence in a sample of young men recruited from the streets of Harlem. The authors interviewed 477 men, aged 18 to 29 years, of whom 43 (9.0%) had received money or drugs in exchange for sex in the preceding 30 days and were categorized as sex traders. Psychological distress was measured by using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Sex traders scored significantly higher than non-sex traders on the General Severity Index and on all nine subscales of the BSI. According to multivariate analysis after adjusting for perceived HIV risk, current regular crack cocaine use and homelessness, sex traders scored 0.173 units higher on the General Severity Index than non-sex traders (p < .001). More of the sex traders tested positive for HIV (41% versus 19%, p < .001). The alarmingly high HIV seroprevalence rate in sex traders in this sample underscores the need to redouble HIV prevention efforts for this population. The high levels of psychological distress and crack cocaine dependence among sex traders may undermine their ability to adopt safer sex behaviors and should be considered in intervention designs.
Adolescent↗