Academic Journal
Persistent HIV Transmission Misconceptions Among People Who Inject Drugs in Massachusetts, USA.
| Τίτλος: | Persistent HIV Transmission Misconceptions Among People Who Inject Drugs in Massachusetts, USA. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Shaw LC; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA., Jimenez YS; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA., Sproesser DM; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA., Hayes E; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA., Baumgartner K; Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, Lawrence, MA, USA., Krakower DS; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA.; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA., Bordeu M; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA., Mimiaga MJ; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA.; Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.; Center for LGBTQ+ Advocacy, Research, & Health, University of California, Los Angeles, USA., Bositis CM; Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA., Bazzi AR; Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health & Human Longevity, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.; Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA., Biello KB; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. katie_biello@brown.edu.; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA. katie_biello@brown.edu.; Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. katie_biello@brown.edu. |
| Πηγή: | AIDS and behavior [AIDS Behav] 2026 Oct; Vol. 30 (10), pp. 3222-3231. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 11. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Springer Science + Business Media Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9712133 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-3254 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10907165 NLM ISO Abbreviation: AIDS Behav Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: 2005- : New York, NY : Springer Science + Business Media Original Publication: New York, NY : Plenum Press, 1997- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | HIV Infections*/transmission , HIV Infections*/psychology , HIV Infections*/prevention & control , HIV Infections*/epidemiology , Substance Abuse, Intravenous*/psychology , Substance Abuse, Intravenous*/epidemiology , Substance Abuse, Intravenous*/complications , Drug Users*/psychology , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*, Massachusetts/epidemiology ; Condoms/statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Female ; Adult ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Middle Aged ; Risk-Taking ; Needle Sharing ; Young Adult ; Sexual Behavior |
| Περίληψη: | Despite the widespread success of combination antiretroviral therapy in reducing overall HIV morbidity and mortality, people who inject drugs (PWID) continue to experience elevated risk of infection and suboptimal care outcomes. Addressing knowledge gaps related to HIV acquisition and transmission is essential for reducing incident cases of HIV. We assessed HIV transmission misconceptions (e.g., HIV can be transmitted through sharing cigarettes, hugging an infected person) among HIV-negative PWIDs recruited through two syringe service programs in Massachusetts between 2020 and 2025. Participants completed 10 items adapted from the International AIDS Questionnaire, with responses categorized into three groups: 'many misconceptions' (0-7 questions answered correctly), 'few misconceptions' (8-9 correct), and 'no misconceptions' (10 correct). Of 185 participants, 79% held at least one misconception. The most common misconception was that HIV could be transmitted through mosquitoes (55% incorrect). The least prevalent misconceptions related to condom use, drug injection "works" (e.g., cookers, cottons), and hugging (≥ 90% answered correctly). We also observed misconceptions related to syringe sharing (13% incorrect) and mother-to-child transmission (17% incorrect; no difference between women and men). Sociodemographic characteristics did not differ significantly across misconception categories. Participants who reported a recent overdose represented 27% of the full sample but 45% of the 'no misconceptions' subgroup. Misconceptions present since the early era of the HIV epidemic remain prevalent among PWID in this region, despite access to robust harm reduction and HIV prevention services. Findings highlight the importance of dispelling long-standing myths, strengthening education about preventive perinatal transmission, and reinforcing knowledge of injection-specific transmission. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Competing Interests: Dr. Biello reports receiving unrestricted research funds from Merck outside of the submitted work. The other authors have no other conflicts of interest to disclose. |
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| Grant Information: | R01DA051849 United States DA NIDA NIH HHS; P30AI042853 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: HIV transmission; Health knowledge, attitudes, practice; Risk-taking; Substance-related disorders; United States |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260411 Date Completed: 20261014 Latest Revision: 20261017 |
| Update Code: | 20261017 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13668970 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10461-026-05117-2 |
| PMID: | 41964811 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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