Risk Factors for AIDS Among Intravenous Drug Users Study, New York City, 1991-1995

The Risk Factors for AIDS among Intravenous Drug Users study is an ongoing series of cross-sectional studies that recruits participants from a storefront research site and from one of New York City's largest detoxification facilities. The goal of the study was to assess the potential effectiveness of HIV interventions by examining participants' drug use, risk behavior, and AIDS prevention knowledge and activities.
The dataset combines survey responses taken from interviews conducted at the Bellevue Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program, the Beth Israel Medical Center and from a high drug use area in Lower East Side of Manhattan. All participants were at least 18 years of age or older. Participants from the Beth Israel Medical Center and the Lower East Side were given face-to-face interviews based on a World Health Organization Multi-Centre questionnaire. Data from the Bellevue Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program were extracted from patients' clinical files. Minimal demographic and HIV risk behavior were included in the methadone patient responses in these data to protect their anonymity. Blood samples were taken from participants to test for HIV.
These data also contain information on topics including participant demographics, alcohol use, drug use, substance abuse treatment, needle sharing habits, sexual behavior, social networks, HIV testing services, as well as mental and physical health. Drugs use explored in this study includes heroin, cocaine, crack, methadone, amphetamines, ice, tranquilizers, barbiturates and other drugs.This dataset is public-use. A restricted-use version of the dataset is also available with the associated study number 35078. There are 2,907 respondents and 902 variables in the dataset.