Lowering HIV risk among ethnic minority drug users: comparing culturally targeted intervention to a standard intervention

Abstract

To test the efficacy of culturally targeted acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention programs on ethnic minority street drug users, 669 African-American and Puerto Rican drug users were assigned to receive either the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) standard intervention or a culturally competent enhanced intervention in a quasi-experimental study. The standard intervention was a two-session educational program, while both the African-American and Puerto Rican enhanced interventions provided additional AIDS information in a culturally appropriate fashion. Although human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors, as measured by Bell's risk indices, decreased, there were no meaningful significant differences between interventions. However, participants who went into drug treatment programs showed greater reduction in HIV risk behavior. Cultural interventions may provide better outcome if they concentrate on getting participants into drug treatment.