Contraceptive practices of non-HIV-seropositive injecting drug users.

Abstract

AIMS:

To study the sociodemographic characteristics and sexual behaviours in contraception choices of injecting drug users (IDUs) and to compare the contraceptive practices of non-HIV-positive IDUs to those of the general population.

DESIGN:

Two surveys were used: a sample of IDUs attending 10 drug abuse treatment centres in the Paris region (IDU) and the Parisian subsample of the National French Survey of Sexual Behaviour (ACSF).

MEASUREMENTS:

Percentages of contraception practices were estimated separately for 81 IDU and 130 ACSF women, and for 175 IDU and 168 ACSF men, aged 25-34, not reporting prostitution or HIV seropositivity.

FINDINGS:

Most IDU (77%) and ACSF (84%) women, and IDU (73%) and ACSF (75%) men currently used a contraceptive method. Male condoms were more widely used by IDUs than by the general population (64 vs. 10% in women, 75 vs. 14% in men), for all subgroups of educational level, marital status, recent multipartnership status and sexual activity.

CONCLUSIONS:

Contraceptives are used as often by IDUs as by the general population aged 25-34. However, the methods employed differ, with higher condom use by IDUs, which suggest that IDUs take into account the risk of HIV contamination in their contraceptive practices.

• Authors: Gwenaelle Vidal-Trecan, Josiane Warszawski, Joel Coste, Nathalie Bajos, Natalie Delamare, Catherine Grenier-Sennelier, Alain Boissonnas
• Journal: European journal of epidemiology (Eur J Epidemiol) Vol. 18 Issue 9 Pg. 863-9 ( 2003) ISSN: 0393-2990 [Print] Netherlands
• PMID: 14561045 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Contraceptives, Oral

Topics

• Adult
• Condoms (statistics & numerical data)
• Contraception (methods, statistics & numerical data)
• Contraceptives, Oral
• Demography
• Female
• HIV Seronegativity
• Humans
• Intrauterine Devices (statistics & numerical data)
• Male
• Marital Status
• Paris
• Risk-Taking
• Sex Factors
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases (prevention & control)
• Substance Abuse, Intravenous (microbiology, psychology)
• Surveys and Questionnaires