Articles

AIDS Prevention Strategies for Ethnic-Racial Minority Substance Users

Schilling, Robert F.; El-Bassel, Nabila; Serrano, Yolanda; Wallace, Barbara C.

African Americans and Latinos, respectively, account for 29% and 16% of persons with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, yet collectively represent less than 20% of the US population (Centers for Disease Control 1990) Although rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission have slowed among gay Anglo men there is less evidence to indicate that patterns of transmission have been altered among Black and Hispanic intravenous drug users. In this article, risk factors for HIV transmission among drug users are described, and sociocultural aspects of these risk behaviors are discussed Next, the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to reducing the spread of HIV among drug users and their associates are considered, particularly as they apply to ethnic-racial minorities Finally, brief examples are provided of how existing theories of behavior change can be applied in Hispanic and African-American communities and suggestions are offered for further research

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Title
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1037/h0080621

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Academic Units
Social Work
Published Here
April 18, 2012