AIDS knowledge and risk perception of cocaine and crack users in a national household survey

Awareness of AIDS among cocaine and crack users has never been studied using national data representative of the U.S. household population. Data from the 1991 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed. Respondents who reported cocaine (n = 448) or crack use (n = 100) in the past year were compared with those who reported never using any form of cocaine (n = 17,259). AIDS knowledge, HIV testing, risk behavior, and perceived risk for HIV were outcomes studied. Over 96% of the drug users know the term HIV compared with 89% of the nonusers. A higher proportion of cocaine users reorganized the effectiveness of condoms compared with nonusers (93% vs. 84%). Over 96% of all groups knew the risk of sharing needles. Cocaine and crack users were more likely to have been tested for HIV (27% and 28%) compared with nonusers (19%), yet less than one third of those tested actually received HIV counseling. High-risk behavior was acknowledged by 22% of cocaine users and 33% of crack users. However, only 10% and 14% respectively considered themselves to be at increased risk for having or getting HIV. These data suggest that cocaine and crack users are knowledgeable regarding HIV/AIDS, however they are underestimating their real risk of infection with HIV.