A systematic review of 35 trials has assessed whether 'talking' interventions help people who inject drugs to change behaviour so they are at less risk of becoming infected with HIV.

Consistent with wider health promotion principles, the authors suggest that rather than interventions targeting individuals with information and education, community-level programmes supplying materials and resources to enable safer behaviour (sterile injection equipment and condoms) may be more effective at promoting safer-behaviour.

Interestingly, the review found that several sessions of information and skills training were no more effective than minimal educational interventions (such as provision of pamphlets and written material) at reducing the kind of substance use and sexual behaviour which risks HIV infection in drug users who inject. 

Read a summary of the report