Bleaching injection equipment: influencing factors among IDUs who share

This study investigates factors influencing needle-bleaching intentions and behavior among IDUs who share injection equipment. Analysis of 443 interviews conducted with IDUs who share revealed that intention to bleach and frequency of bleaching were positively associated with attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioral control, and perceived risk of unsafe sharing. Intention was related (positively) to exposure to AIDS-prevention information, whereas frequency of bleaching was associated (negatively) with frequency of intoxication. Exposure to AIDS information may be more effective in creating intention to bleach needles than in stimulating behavior, and noninjection drug use may inhibit bleaching behavior.