Abstract
Peer outreach models have been successful in addressing HIV risk behaviors of drug users. Patients in methadone maintenance treatment programs who were migrants from Puerto Rico and/or familiar with drug use there were trained to conduct HIV-related peer outreach. A group randomized design was implemented; patients in the Experimental (E) condition (n = 80) received training and conducted 12 weeks of outreach. Half of the patients completed the training and outreach. At follow-up, patients in the E condition who conducted outreach felt they were more helpful to their community, showed a trend for engaging in more vocational activities, and were more likely to talk with others about HIV, compared to those who did not conduct outreach and those in the Control condition (n = 78). Drug treatment patients who are migrants can be trained as peer outreach workers and short-term benefits were found. Longer term maintenance of benefits should be assessed.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by Grant No. DA010425 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Appreciation is extended to the MMTP programs, staff, and patients who participated in this research. Acknowledgment is also extended to Carmen Ortiz-Priester and Dorline Yee who assisted in the preparation of the manuscript.
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Deren, S., Kang, SY., Mino, M. et al. Conducting Peer Outreach to Migrants: Outcomes for Drug Treatment Patients. J Immigrant Minority Health 14, 251–258 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-011-9467-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-011-9467-4