Evaluating Attitudes on Health-Seeking Behavior Among a Network of People Who Inject Drugs

People who inject drugs (PWID) are part of HIV/AIDS risk networks, where individuals can engage in sexual and injection risk behavior. Low socioeconomic status and lack of access to medical care often complicate successful engagement in HIV care for PWID. This study investigates how locus of control and self-blame regarding HIV/AIDS risk affects health-seeking behavior in PWID participants and their community members. We apply causal inference methodology to PWID HIV risk networks ascertained from the Social Factors and HIV Risk Study (SFHR) conducted between 1991 and 1993 in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York. We found estimated protective disseminated effects of attitudes toward HIV/AIDS on health-seeking behaviors of others in the PWID community. A positive attitude toward controlling HIV/AIDS can improve the health-seeking behavior of other members in the community with a pessimistic attitude toward HIV/AIDS control. Interventions to improve attitudes toward HIV/AIDS risk can boost health-seeking behavior among both PWID receiving the intervention themselves and other unexposed PWID in the community.