What distinguishes needle exchange attenders from non-attenders?
OBJECTIVES: To determine what combination of HIV risk factors and socio-demographic attributes differentiate needle exchange attenders from non-attenders in Glasgow. METHODS: A multisite and city wide sampling strategy was used to interview 503 current injecting drug users during 1990. Fifty-four per cent (272) attended needle exchanges in the six months prior to interview, while the remaining 46% (231) obtained injecting equipment from other sources. Thirty-one variables were entered into a stepwise discriminant analysis to predict group membership. RESULTS: Fifteen variables emerged in the discriminant function which explained 16.8% of the variance between the two groups. Needle exchange attenders reported lower levels of risk behaviour eg injected fewer drugs, injected less frequently and shared less equipment compared to non-attenders. They were, however, more likely to pass on injecting equipment. In comparison with random assignment of cases (50%), adding knowledge of discriminat
