Abstract
This study was conducted to compare needle and syringe sharing practices among injecting drug users (IDUs) in two neighborhoods, one with and one without a needle and syringe program (NSP). In 2005, 419 street-based IDUs were interviewed at specific locations in two neighborhoods where IDUs are known to congregate. We compared self-reported needle and syringe access and use between IDUs from a neighborhood with an active NSP to IDUs from a neighborhood without such an intervention. A significantly smaller proportion of IDUs from the former neighborhood reported having used a shared needle/syringe over a 1-month period (21.0%) compared to IDUs from the latter neighborhood (39.9%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.24; 95% confidence interval, 0.13–0.45). These findings indicate that access to an NSP may reduce needle and syringe sharing practices. Therefore, these programs should be intensified in settings with concentrated HIV epidemics among IDUs in Iran.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their sincere appreciation to the participants of this study for sharing their experiences. We would also like to extend our special thanks to the staff members of the Persepolis Society and the National Center for Addiction Studies at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and the survey team, in particular Drs. Mehran Boroumand, Mohammad Sajjadi-Far, and Seyed Reza Hosseini. We also wish to acknowledge Dr. Lisa Maher and Ms. Jane Koerner for their critical comments. This research was supported jointly by the Fujiwara Foundation in Japan and the Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Iran.
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Zamani, S., Vazirian, M., Nassirimanesh, B. et al. Needle and Syringe Sharing Practices Among Injecting Drug Users in Tehran: A Comparison of Two Neighborhoods, One with and One Without a Needle and Syringe Program. AIDS Behav 14, 885–890 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-008-9404-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-008-9404-2