Effectiveness in disease and injury prevention, HIV -infection prevention messages for injecting drug users: sources of information and use of mass media - Baltimore, 1989. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 18, 1991) (Reviews and Information From Periodicals and Journals Worldwide)

SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Thursday, July 18, 1991.

"In many urban areas in the United States, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) seroprevalence rates for injecting drug users (IDUs) range from 10 percent to 65 percent. To examine whether the mass media could contribute to IDU-targeted HIV-infection prevention measures, CDC collaborated with investigators at Johns Hopkins University in studying (1) media use by and sources of HIV information for IDUs, (2) the airing of public service announcements (PSAs) that address acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and (3) the acceptability by broadcast media executives of various PSA prevention messages related to HIV and AIDS. This report summarizes findings of these studies.

"Sources of Information for IDUs. From February 1988 through March 1989, a cohort of 2,921 IDUs was recruited through clinics, street outreach programs, and word-of -mouth in Baltimore through the AIDS Link to Intravenous Experiences (ALIVE) study. This volunteer cohort study of the natural history of HIV-1 infection in IDUs is one of a limited number of longitudinal evaluations of persons who are considered "street IDUs" (i.e., IDUs who may not

be in drug treatment). At the time of enrollment, 24 percent of the cohort's members were HIV-1 seropositive. Eligibility criteria included residency in the Baltimore metropolitan area, age greater than 17 years, and history of illicit drug injection during the previous 10 years. The median duration of …