P071 Police harassment and HIV/STI risk behaviors among a sample of people who inject drugs on the U.S.-mexico border

Background The number of people who inject drugs on the U.S.-Mexico border has been increasing over the last years and has become a public health concern due to their vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We explored the HIV/STI risk behaviors of people who inject drugs (PID) and their relationship to police harassment. Methods The sample for this study included 200 PID (75% male, 25% female) recruited through respondent driven sampling methodology. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS v.25; independent sample t-test was used to identify mean differences across PID experiencing police harassment during the past three months vs. PID who did not experience police harassment in the last three months; chi-squared analysis was used to explore proportional differences on substance use and HIV/STIs sexual risk behaviors. Results Overall, 1.9% of participants reported being diagnosed with HIV, and 23.3% with hepatitis C. PID who experienced police harassment reported higher use of other drugs: marijuana (OR=1.78, 95%CI=[1.05,3.04],p=0.015), inhalants (OR=2.06, 95%CI=[1.40,3.03],p Conclusion There is a clear relationship between experiencing police harassment, engaging in HIV high-risk behaviors, and higher consumption of other drugs among PID. Understanding the structural dynamics of discrimination and stigma among this group (e.g. double stigma, being MSM) could lead to a deeper understanding of these relationships. Disclosure No significant relationships.