A COMPARISON OF INJECTING DRUG-USERS REACHED THROUGH OUTREACH AND METHADONE TREATMENT

The authors examine the common assumption that AIDS/HIV outreach prevention programs and similar programs in methadone treatment compete for the same population by comparing injecting drug users (IDUs) reached by each intervention in four communities. Similar results across sites reinforced the conclusions that, compared to IDUs entering methadone treatment, the IDUs contacted in outreach were more likely to be male, black, and young; to start injecting drugs when they were older, have shorter histories of injecting risk, and currently inject drugs less often than daily; to inject infrequently only opiates and frequently inject only cocaine; and to have not been in formal treatment ever or in the past six months.