Social Networks of Heroin Sniffers and Injectors and their impact on HIV-Related Risk Behaviors.

This paper examines the social networks characteristics of two different groups of heroin users?sniffers and injectors?and their influence on their drug-using and other HIV-related risk behaviors. A stratified network based sample of 600 heroin users was recruited from communities in Miami-Dade County which were known for high drug use. Two sub-samples of active heroin users were recruited for inclusion into the study: (1) new injection drug users who had initiated injection in the prior four years and (2) heroin sniffers who had never injected a drug but were sniffing heroin. In comparing the social networks of these two types of heroin users, this paper uses the last 30 days prior to interview for sniffers and the 30 days prior to first injection for injectors. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were used to examine the main characteristics of a respondent?s social network. Results indicate that the social networks of the heroin users in the study are characterized by their limited size as indicated by the fact that almost 69 percent- of the sample feature social networks with no more than five members. Males constitute a majority (about 60 percent-) of a heroin user?s social network regardless their gender. In the 30 days prior to their first injection experience, most heroin injectors in the study were hanging out with drug users (96 percent-) and almost 75 percent- of those were drug injectors. On the other hand, less than 20 percent- of the people a heroin sniffer was hanging out with during the last 30 days prior to interview were drug injectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]