Abstract
There is considerable agreement that the prevalence of diagnosed AIDS cases and the prevalence of HIV infection is greater among African American and Hispanic injection drug users (IDUs) than among Anglo (White, non-Hispanic) IDUs. There is less agreement on why this is the case. This lack of knowledge is related, in part, to the paucity of research on the cultural diversity among IDUs and the impact that cultural differences have on injection risk behaviors of those three groups. This analysis examined possible differences in the sources from which each ethnic group obtained their works (IVequipment) in a sample of 711 injecting drug users drawn from six methadone clinics, three residential treatment programs, and one drug detoxification program between June 1987 and August 1988 in South Florida. It was found that African Americans were more likely (69.4%) to acquire their works from street suppliers than were Hispanics (49.4%) or Anglos (36.1%). It is conceivable that "source of works" is a contributing factor to the higher prevalence of AIDS among minority IDUs.