Objective

To describe epidemiological trends in injecting and equipment sharing among a sample drawn from a drug-using population with a high rate of HIV infection.

Design

A structured interview was administered prior to treatment to cross-sectional samples of drug users over the period 1988-1991.

Reports of injecting, sharing and HIV infection were compared annually.

Setting

Lothian Health Board's Community Drug Problems Service is a secondary level service offering harm reduction and treatment of dependency.

Participants

A total of 734 consecutively referred drug users resident in Edinburgh.

Re-referrals in the same calendar year were excluded.

Measures

History of injecting and sharing, recent injecting and sharing, HIV testing history, drugs used in previous month and substitute prescription status.