Home > Research

Australian Study of HIV and Injecting Drug Use (ASHIDU). - Risk of HIV infection among and from injecting drug users in four capital cities

  • Research program:
  • Project status: Completed
  • Start date: March 1994
  • Expected end date: March 1995
  • Completion date: March 2000
  • Funded by: Commonwealth AIDS Research Grants & C'wealth Dept. Human Services and Health.
  • Lead organisation:
Project Description

The aims and objectives of this proposed research are: Aims: 1) To provide data which allow for the maximum achievable reduction of HIV transmission among and from injecting drug users in Australia. Objectives: 1) To identify the most important modifiable factors which could result in a reduction in HIV transmission among and from injecting drug users in Australia. 2) To estimate HIV risk behaviour and HIV seroprevalence among injecting drug users in four Australian capital cities in 1994. 3) To compare HIV risk behaviour and HIV seroprevalence among injecting drug users in Sydney and Perth between 1989, 1990 and 1994. 4) To compare cross sectional data from this study with data from a longitudinal study of injecting drug users in Victoria. 5) To evaluate the efficacy of hepatitis B (HBcAB) and C infection as a surrogate marker of HIV infection. 6) To develop low cost methodologies for monitoring risk behaviour and HIV seroprevalence in populations of injecting drug users. 7) To estimate appropriate performance indicators for all prevention strategies used to reduce the spread of HIV infection in this population. 8) To further standardise the ANAIDUS-Q in order to examine its reliability and validity with sub-populations such as youth, women, different ethnic groups, and non-opiate users. 9) To modify and pilot test instruments used in this proposal so as to develop self administered questionnaires with acceptable accuracy for estimating risk behaviour.

PhD Student
PhD Supervisors
NDRI Project Staff
Name & Contact Details Role Research Program Location
NDRI Adjunct Project Staff
External Project Staff
  • Chief Investigator: J Goodfellow,
  • Chief Investigator: Jude Bevan, WA Department of Health
  • Chief Investigator: Kate Dolan, University of New South Wales
  • Chief Investigator: M Gaughwin,
  • Chief Investigator: Nick Crofts, Burnet Institute
  • Chief Investigator: Alex Wodak, St Vincent's Hospital
  • Chief Investigator: Susan Carruthers, Curtin University
  • Chief Investigator: Wendy Loxley, Curtin University
Project Contact
Sustainable Development Goals and Targets

This project aligns with the following Sustainable Development Goals and Targets:

Related Publications

Carruthers, S., Phillips, M., Loxley, W. and Bevan, J., S. (1997). The Australian Study of HIV and Injecting Drug Use. Part II: Predicting exposure to Hepatitis C and hepatitis B. Drug and Alcohol Review, 16, (3), pp. 215 - 220. doi:10.1080/09595239800187391 [RJ246] View web page

Loxley, W., Bevan, J., S. and Carruthers, S. (1997). Age and Injecting Drug Use Revisited: The Australian Study Of HIV And Injecting Drug Use. AIDS Care, 9, (6), pp. 661-670. doi:10.1080/713613232 [RJ268] View web page

Loxley, W., Phillips, M., Carruthers, S. and Bevan, J., S. (1997). The Australian Study of HIV and Injecting Drug Use. Part I: Prevalence for HIV, hepatitis B And hepatitis C among injecting drug users in four Australian cities. Drug and Alcohol Review, 16, (3), pp. 207-214. doi:10.1080/09595239800187381 [RJ247] View web page

Bevan, J., S., Loxley, W. and Carruthers, S. (1996). Getting on and getting off in Perth 1994. Report of the Australian Study of HIV and Injecting Drug Use (ASHIDU). National Centre for Research into the Prevention of Drug Abuse, Division of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia. [T58]

Loxley, W., Carruthers, S. and Bevan, J., S. (1995). In the Same Vein. First report of the Australian Study of HIV and Injecting Drug Use (ASHIDU). National Centre for Research into the Prevention of Drug Abuse, Division of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia. [T56]