Heterosexual contacts of intravenous drug abusers: implications for the next spread of the AIDS epidemic.

There is a scarcity of knowledge about the sexual behavior patterns of the intravenous drug abuser (IVDA), despite the potential role of this group in the heterosexual transmission of AIDS. Using a representative sample of 93 clients from the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation (ARTC), who consented to be anonymously interviewed, this study investigated sexual behavior patterns and practices of these intravenous drug abusers. Over half of the 758 sexual contacts reported by this sample were non-IVDAs. Results indicated that IVDA males in comparison with IVDA females reported a significantly greater percentage of heterosexual contacts which were non-IVDAs. However, when controlling for needle sharing, this association was significant only for those who shared. The findings indicate the importance of targeting, not only IVDAs with regards to health educational interventions, but also sexually active non-IVDAs, especially females, in communities where intravenous drug abuse is prevalent.