Injecting drug use: Gendered risk

Changing age profile and incidence of injecting drug use initiation among people in Australia who inject drugs: evidence from two national repeated cross-sectional studies

Background

The age of people who inject drugs appears to be increasing in some high-income countries. We aimed to explore trends in the age of people injecting and recently starting to inject drugs in Australia, and to model incidence of initiation over time.

Methods

We obtained data from the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) and the Australian Needle Syringe Program Survey (ANSPS), which comprise annual cross-sectional surveys with people who inject drugs (2000-2019). Outcome measures were current age, age of initiation, and time since initiation (both surveys), and drug first injected (IDRS only). We estimated time trends in age using quantile regression. We used the relative number of people initiating injecting drug use each year and existing population size estimates to model incidence of initiation.

Findings

In total, 58,465 interviews with people who reported injecting drugs in the past month (33.7% women) were included. In both surveys, the median age increased over the study period (IDRS: 28-43 years; ANSPS 28-44 years). The median time since initiation also increased over the study period (IDRS: 8-22.5 years; ANSPS: 9-24 years), and the median age of initiation increased with calendar year of initiation (IDRS: 18-34 years; ANSPS: 20-30 years). Women tended to be younger and commence injecting drug use at a younger age than men. Modelling suggested that similar numbers of people injected drugs for the first time each year from 1980 (national estimates of 15,570 and 17,020 new initiates using IDRS and ANSPS data, respectively) to 1996 (IDRS: 16,360; ANSPS: 22,300 new initiates), followed by a decisive decline in incidence until 2012 (IDRS: 1110; ANSPS: 1830), whereafter it has fluctuated but remained low. Meth/amphetamine was consistently the predominant drug injected at initiation among IDRS participants, although there were peaks in heroin as the drug injected at initiation in the early 1980s and mid-1990s.

Interpretation

In 2019, most people who were injecting drugs in Australia were part of a cohort that began injecting in the 1980s or 1990s. Consequently, the population was older and had been injecting drugs for longer compared to those injecting drugs in 2000. This has implications for health service delivery to people who inject drugs, with increasing age likely to be accompanied by a rise in chronic health conditions and an increase in injecting duration potentially resulting in higher incidence of injecting-related injuries and diseases.

Funding

Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Using illicit drugs alone in Vancouver, Canada: a gender-based analysis

OBJECTIVES

Canada continues to experience an epidemic of toxic drug-related overdose deaths. Public health messaging emphasizes the dangers of using drugs alone as it restricts timely overdose response or renders it impossible, yet this practice remains prevalent among people who use drugs. While drug use practices and associated harms are known to be highly gendered, little is known about how factors shaping solitary drug use may differ across genders (including cisgender men, cisgender women, transgender women, Two-Spirit people and gender diverse people). Thus, we sought to explore solitary drug use practices according to gender in Vancouver, Canada.

METHODS

Data were collected through Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study, a prospective cohort study between June 2019 and May 2023. We used gender-stratified multivariable generalized estimating equation models to identify factors associated with using drugs alone.

RESULTS

Among the 697 participants, 297 (42.6%) reported using drugs alone in the previous 6 months at baseline. In multivariable analyses, we found that being in a relationship was negatively associated with using alone for both cisgender men and cisgender women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.25 and 0.34, respectively), while homelessness was negatively associated for cisgender men only (AOR = 0.45). Factors positively associated for cisgender men included daily illicit stimulant use (AOR = 1.90), and binge drug use (AOR = 2.18). For cisgender women, only depression was positively associated with using drugs alone (AOR = 2.16). All p-values < 0.05. While unable to conduct a multivariable analysis on transgender, Two-Spirit and gender diverse people due to small sample sizes, bivariate analyses showed larger impact of depression on using alone for Two-Spirit (OR = 8.00) and gender diverse people (OR = 5.05) compared to others, and only gender diverse people's risk was impacted by experiences of violence (OR = 9.63). All p-values < 0.05.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study suggest significant heterogeneity in gender-specific factors associated with using drugs alone. Factors exclusively impacting cisgender men's risk included homelessness and daily stimulant use, and depression having a significant impact on cisgender women's, but not cisgender men's, risk. Ultimately, gender-specific factors must be recognized in public health messaging, and in developing policies and harm reduction measures to address the risks associated with using alone.

Factors associated with perceived ease of access to syringes in Appalachian North Carolina

PURPOSE

To examine associations between perceived ease of syringe access, syringe sources, injection behaviors, and law enforcement (LE) interactions among people who inject drugs (PWID) in rural Appalachian North Carolina (NC).

METHODS

Using respondent-driven sampling, a diverse sample of 309 self-reported PWID were recruited from rural Appalachian NC. Data were collected via audio computer-assisted self-interview technology from February 2019 through March 2020. Respondents reported demographics, sources of syringes, LE interactions, and injection behaviors. Univariate, bivariate, and linear regression analyses were performed.

FINDINGS

Respondents most often obtained syringes from pharmacies and syringe service programs (SSPs). Twenty-one percent disagreed that it was easy to obtain sterile syringes, with 28% reporting low or no access to an SSP. PWID who reported longer physical distances to an SSP had greater difficulty accessing syringes (P<.001). PWID who reported greater ease of access to syringes reported engaging in receptive syringe sharing less often (P<.01). PWID who were stopped and searched by LE more often reported injecting drugs somebody else prepared with nonsterile supplies more often (P<.01). Participants shared used injection supplies more than twice as often than they shared used syringes.

CONCLUSIONS

These results underscore the importance of SSPs to mitigate the spread of human immunodeficiency virus and viral hepatitis in rural areas. Supporting mobile SSP services in rural areas could increase access to sterile syringes and injection supplies. SSPs should educate PWID about the importance of not sharing injection supplies. Pharmacies could increase syringe access in areas where SSPs do not operate.

Prevalence and correlates of using opioids alone among individuals in a residential treatment program in Michigan: implications for overdose mortality prevention

BACKGROUND

Avoiding use of opioids while alone reduces overdose fatality risk; however, drug use-related stigma may be a barrier to consistently using opioids in the presence of others.

METHODS

We described the frequency of using opioids while alone among 241 people reporting daily heroin use or non-prescribed use of opioid analgesic medications (OAMs) in the month before attending a substance use disorder treatment program in the Midwestern USA. We investigated drug use-related stigma as a correlate of using opioids while alone frequently (very often vs. less frequently or never) and examined overdose risk behaviors associated with using opioids while alone frequently, adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

RESULTS

The sample was a median age of 30 years, 34% female, 79% white, and nearly all (91%) had experienced an overdose. Approximately 63% had used OAMs and 70% used heroin while alone very often in the month before treatment. High levels of anticipated stigma were associated with using either opioid while alone very often (adjusted PR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.04-1.38). Drinking alcohol and taking sedatives within two hours of OAMs very often (vs. less often or never) and using OAMs in a new setting very often (vs. less often or never) were associated with using OAMs while alone very often. Taking sedatives within two hours of using heroin and using heroin in a new setting very often (vs. less often or never) were associated with using heroin while alone very often.

CONCLUSION

Anticipated stigma, polysubstance use, and use in a new setting were associated with using opioids while alone. These findings highlight a need for enhanced overdose harm reduction options, such as overdose detection services that can initiate an overdose response if needed. Addressing stigmatizing behaviors in communities may reduce anticipated stigma and support engagement and trust in these services.

Implications of OPRM1 and CYP2B6 variants on treatment outcomes in methadone-maintained patients in Ontario: Exploring sex differences

Genetic variants in the OPRM1 and CYP2B6 genes, respectively coding for an opioid receptor and methadone metabolizers, have been linked to negative treatment outcomes in patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment, with little consensus on their effect. This study aims to test the associations between pre-selected SNPs of OPRM1 and CYP2B6 and outcomes of continued opioid use, relapse, and methadone dose. It also aims to observe differences in associations within the sexes. 1,172 participants treated with methadone (nMale = 666, nFemale = 506) were included in this study. SNPs rs73568641 and rs7451325 from OPRM1 and all the tested CYP2B6 SNPs were detected to be in high linkage disequilibrium. Though no associations were found to be significant, noteworthy differences were observed in associations of OPRM1 rs73568641 and CYP2B6 rs3745274 with treatment outcomes between males and females. Further research is needed to determine if sex-specific differences are present.

The Prison and Transition Health (PATH) cohort study: Prevalence of health, social, and crime characteristics after release from prison for men reporting a history of injecting drug use in Victoria, Australia

BACKGROUND

People who inject drugs are overrepresented in prison and have diverse and complex health needs. However, outcomes after release from prison are poorly understood, limiting effective interventions supporting community reintegration. We describe the prevalence of socio-demographics, physical and mental health, alcohol and other drug use, and crime characteristics of men with histories of injecting drug use after their release from prison in Victoria, Australia.

METHODS

Data come from the Prison and Transition Health (PATH) prospective cohort study. Interviews were undertaken approximately three, 12, and 24 months after release from their index prison episode and were completed in the community, or in prison for those reimprisoned during the study. We present cross-sectional descriptive statistics for each follow-up wave of the PATH study.

RESULTS

Among 400 men recruited into PATH, 85 % (n = 336) completed at least one follow-up interview; 162 (42 %) completed all three interviews. Participants reported social disadvantage and health inequity, including high rates of unemployment, homelessness, and physical and mental health morbidities at each follow-up time point. Rapid return to illicit substance use was common, as was overdose (ranging 9 %-13 %), receptive syringe sharing (ranging 20 %-29 %), involvement in crime-related activities (ranging 49 %-58 %), and reimprisonment (ranging 22 %-50 %) over the duration of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Men in this study experienced substantial health and social challenges across a 24-month prospective follow-up period. Improved understanding of characteristics and experiences of this group after release from prison can inform more coordinated and continued care between prison and the community.

Examining the gender composition of drug injecting initiation events: A mixed methods investigation of three North American contexts

BACKGROUND

Gender influences the health and social risks faced by individuals initiating drug injecting. Using mixed methods across three settings in North America, we investigated the gender composition of injection initiation events and the gendered risk environments in which they occurred.

METHODS

The PReventing Injecting by Modifying Existing Responses (PRIMER) study pooled data from three prospective community-recruited cohorts of people who inject drugs (PWID) in San Diego, USA, Vancouver, Canada, and Tijuana, Mexico. A qualitative subsample provided narrative data on their experiences of, and the contexts for, injection initiation events. Guided by Rhodes' risk environment framework, we examined the gender composition of initiation events stratified by city, and analyzed qualitative data using abductive thematic analyses.

RESULTS

Among 2,622 PWID (Tijuana: n = 531; San Diego: n = 352; Vancouver: n = 1,739), 112 (4.3%) reported providing initiation assistance to injection-naïve individuals in the previous six months. The proportion of gender concordant (e.g., male-male) initiation pairs varied, (χ2 = 10.32, p <0.001) with greater than expected concordance among pairs in Tijuana compared with those in Vancouver or San Diego. Sixty-one interviews provided context for the discrepancy across sites by highlighting the gendered injection initiation risk environments of prison/jail detention in Tijuana, intimate partnerships in San Diego, and overdose risk in Vancouver.

CONCLUSIONS

These results highlight how gender influences injection initiation events within spatial, social, and economic risk environments, and how this influence varies across settings. These findings can inform interventions to reduce the risk of injection initiation and related harms.

Prevalence and Correlates of Providing and Receiving Assistance With the Transition to Injection Drug Use

Preventing the transition to injection drug use is an important public health goal, as people who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk for overdose and acquisition of infectious disease. Initiation into drug injection is primarily a social process, often involving PWID assistance. A better understanding of the epidemiology of this phenomenon would inform interventions to prevent injection initiation and to enhance safety when assistance is provided. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to 1) characterize the prevalence of receiving (among injection-naive persons) and providing (among PWID) help or guidance with the first drug injection and 2) identify correlates associated with these behaviors. Correlates were organized as substance use behaviors, health outcomes (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus infection), or factors describing an individual's social, economic, policy, or physical environment, defined by means of Rhodes' risk environments framework. After screening of 1,164 abstracts, 57 studies were included. The prevalence of receiving assistance with injection initiation (help or guidance at the first injection) ranged 74% to 100% (n = 13 estimates). The prevalence of ever providing assistance with injection initiation varied widely (range, 13%-69%; n = 13 estimates). Injecting norms, sex/gender, and other correlates classified within Rhodes' social risk environment were commonly associated with providing and receiving assistance. Nearly all PWID receive guidance about injecting for the first time, whereas fewer PWID report providing assistance. Substantial clinical and statistical heterogeneity between studies precluded meta-analysis, and thus local-level estimates may be necessary to guide the implementation of future psychosocial and sociostructural interventions. Further, estimates of providing assistance may be downwardly biased because of social desirability factors.

Injecting risk behaviours amongst people who inject drugs: A global multi-stage systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Injecting risk behaviour, such as receptive sharing of injecting equipment and/or re-using one's equipment, is associated with bloodborne virus transmission and infections in people who inject drugs (PWID). We aimed to estimate prevalence and correlates of injecting risk behaviours amongst PWID.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses to estimate country, regional, and global prevalences of injecting risk behaviours (including sharing or re-using needle/syringe and sharing other injecting equipment). Using meta-regression analyses, we determined associations between study- and country-level characteristics and receptive needle/syringe sharing.

RESULTS

From 61,077 identified papers and reports and 61 studies from expert consutation, evidence on injecting risk behaviours was available for 464 studies from 88 countries. Globally, it is estimated that 17.9% (95%CI: 16.2-19.6%) of PWID engaged in receptive needle/syringe sharing at last injection, 23.9% (95%CI: 21.2-26.5%) in the past month, and 32.8% (95%CI: 28.6-37.0%) in the past 6-12 months. Receptive sharing of other injecting equipment was common. Higher prevalence of receptive needle/syringe sharing in the previous month was associated with samples of PWID with a lower proportion of females, shorter average injecting duration, a higher proportion with ≥daily injecting, and older studies. Countries with lower development index, higher gender inequality and lower NSP coverage had higher proportions reporting receptive needle/syringe sharing.

CONCLUSIONS

High levels of injecting risk behaviours were observed amongst PWID globally, although estimates were only available for half of the countries with evidence of injecting drug use. There is a need for better capturing of injecting risk behaviours in these countries to inform implementation of harm reduction services and evaluate potential impacts of interventions to reduce risk.

Women's utilization of housing-based overdose prevention sites in Vancouver, Canada: An ethnographic study

BACKGROUND

In response to a fentanyl-driven overdose crisis, low-threshold supervised consumption sites, termed overdose prevention sites (OPS), have been rapidly implemented in Vancouver, Canada. Since approximately 88% of fatal overdoses in the province occur indoors, OPS have been integrated into select non-profit-operated single room accommodations (SRA) housing. We examined the social-structural features of these housing-based OPS (HOPS) on women's overdose risk.

METHODS

Ethnographic research was conducted from May 2017 to December 2018 in Vancouver. Data included 35 in-depth interviews with women who use drugs living in SRAs and approximately 100 h of observational fieldwork in SRAs and surrounding areas. Data were analyzed using an intersectional risk environment approach, with attention to equity and violence.

FINDINGS

Findings demonstrate that the social and structural environments of HOPS created barriers for women to access these interventions, resulting in an increased overdose risk. Primary barriers included uncertainty as to who else was accessing HOPS, rules prohibiting smoking, and a lack of trust in staff's abilities to effectively respond to an overdose. Most participants considered HOPS to be unsafe environments, and expressed fear of violence from residents and/or guests. The perceived risk of violence was informed by previous experiences of assault and the witnessing of violence. Many participants thus consumed drugs alone in their rooms to better control their safety, despite heightened overdose risk. Further, most participants did not perceive themselves to be at risk of an overdose due to drug use practices and tolerance levels, and viewed using alone as a safer option than HOPS.

CONCLUSION

Findings highlight how the low-barrier design and operation of HOPS can undermine women's engagement with HOPS. Overdose prevention strategies in SRAs should also include gender-specific models (e.g. women-only HOPS, women peer workers) to help mitigate barriers to these services within the context of the current overdose crisis.

A Global Meta-analysis of the Prevalence of HIV, Hepatitis C Virus, and Hepatitis B Virus Among People Who Inject Drugs-Do Gender-Based Differences Vary by Country-Level Indicators?

BACKGROUND

Women-specific factors exist that increases vulnerability to drug-related harms from injection drug use, including blood-borne viruses (BBVs), but gender-based differences in BBV prevalence have not been systematically examined.

METHODS

We conducted meta-analyses to estimate country, regional, and global prevalence of serologically confirmed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV; based on detection of anti-HCV antibody), and hepatitis B virus (HBV; based on detection of HBV surface antigen) in people who inject drugs (PWID), by gender. Gender-based differences in the BBV prevalence (calculated as the risk among women relative to the risk among men) were regressed on country-level prevalence and inequality measures (Gender inequality index, Human development index, Gini coefficient, and high, low or middle income of the country).

RESULTS

Gender-based differences varied by countries and regions. HIV prevalence was higher among women than men in sub-Saharan Africa (relative risk [RR], 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-4.4) and South Asia (RR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-2.7); anti-HCV was lower among women in the Middle East and North Africa (RR, 0.6; 95% CI, .5-.7) and East and Southeast Asia (RR, 0.8; 95% CI, .7-.9). Gender-based differences varied with country-levels of the BBV prevalence in the general population, human development, and income distribution.

CONCLUSION

HIV was more prevalent in women who inject drugs as compared to their male counterparts in some countries, but there is variation between and within regions. In countries where women are at higher risks, there is a need to develop gender-sensitive harm-reduction services for the particularly marginalized population of women who inject drugs.