Etiology of limited transmission diseases among drug users: does recent migration magnify the risk of sharing injection equipment?

Epidemiological studies have attributed area-specific changes in infectious disease prevalence to human migration. There is a paucity of research investigating the postmigration adjustment period as an effect on risk behaviors that are required in limited transmission diseases. A two-group typology, derived by cluster analysis, allowed for an analytical differentiation in the postmigration period. The cluster variable and other possible cofactors were included in linear and logistic regression modeling of sharing drug injection equipment among drug users in Alaska. The results indicate that among participants who have injected drugs, those in the postmigration adjustment period are nearly six times more likely to share injection equipment than those drug users who are not in a postmigration period. Further research is suggested and limitations are discussed.