@article{ref1,
title="Causes and consequences of drug abuse: a comparison between synthetic drug and heroin users in urban China",
journal="AIDS education and prevention",
year="2019",
author="Yang, Xiushi and Xia, Guomei",
volume="31",
number="1",
pages="1-16",
abstract="This article examined the differences in causes and health consequences between synthetic drug and heroin abuse in urban China. Two-group comparisons were conducted to quantify differences in individual characteristics, causes of drug use, and HIV/STI risky sexual behavior between synthetic drug and heroin users; logistic regressions were employed to assess the net effect of synthetic drug use on risky sexual behavior. <br><br>RESULTS revealed that causes of synthetic drug use differed from those of heroin use; a combination of the knowledge gap concerning the harmful impact of synthetic drugs and the lesser punishment for their use appeared a main reason behind the shift from heroin to synthetic drugs; and synthetic drug use was a significant and powerful risk factor for HIV/STI risky sexual behavior. Educational and behavioral interventions are urgently needed to prevent the initiation of synthetic drug use among users to reduce their HIV/STI risky sexual behavior.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0899-9546",
doi="10.1521/aeap.2019.31.1.1",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2019.31.1.1"
}