Lifetime Patterns of Substance Use among General Population Subjects Engaging in High Risk Sexual Behaviors: Implications for HIV Risk

IntroductionThe proportion of reported AIDS cases is currently low among heterosexuals without any reported risk factors. Further spread of HIV into this population will certainly depend on their sexual contact with drug users [1-4]. The AIDS epidemic has forced investigators to turn their attention to the histories of high risk sexual behaviors and drug-using patterns among their respondents. Primarily studies have been initiated on needle-sharing, homosexual, and other high risk samples, which limits the generalizability of such findings.