Media sources of HIV/AIDS information in injecting drug users

We report on media habits of 797 members of a sample of 1245 injecting drug users interviewed in Sydney, Australia. While preferred hours of television viewing and radio listening were similar to those of the general population, the preferred channels and stations were different. These findings could assist in targeting injecting drug users with information about HIV/AIDS prevention. However as the self-regulatory advertising process has constrained broadcast and publication of overt messages directed at homosexual and bisexual men, similar restrictions may prevent optimal mass media approaches to educating this other important group at risk of HIV infection.