Project dates: August 2008 - July 2012
Co-Investigator: Hagan, Holly
There are an estimated 16 million people who inject drugs (PWID) across the globe, and nearly 20% of these (approximately 3 million individuals) are infected with HIV. In many locations, substantial proportions of PWID belong to racial and ethnic minority groups. The study conducted a systematic review of published and unpublished data from the U.S. and internationally on ethnic group differences in HIV infection among PWID. In addition, it determined the frequency with which substantial differences in HIV prevalence occurred, or did not occur, among ethnic minority vs. ethnic majority IDUs, and to identify potential causal factors that may generate or reduce these differences. Higher rates of HIV infection among African-American and Hispanic IDUs are a major health disparity in the US and higher rates of HIV infection among ethnic minority IDUs have also been observed in many foreign countries. An international systematic review and meta-analysis should greatly advance our understanding of these disparities and suggest how they might be reduced.
Abstract on NIH RePORTERRacial/ethnic disparities in HIV infection among people who inject drugs: An international systematic review and meta-analysis
Addiction, 107 (12), 2087-2095. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.04027.x. PMCID: PMC3504180.
Des Jarlais DC, Cooper HLF, Bramson H, Deren S, Hatzakis A, Hagan H (2012).
Racial and ethnic disparities and implications for the prevention of HIV among persons who inject drugs
Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS, 7 (4), 354-361. doi: 10.1097/COH.0b013e328353d990.
Des Jarlais DC, Arasteh K, Hagan H, McKnight C, Perlman DC, Friedman SR (2009).
Persistence and change in disparities in HIV infection among injection drug users in New York City after large-scale syringe exchange programs
American Journal of Public Health, 99 (Suppl 2), S445-S451. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.159327. PMCID: PMC4451117.