Table 1.
Characteristics of 2021 harm reduction client survey participants who responded to seeing/hearing a drug alert (n=482)
| Characteristics | Saw/heard alert (n=300) n (%) | Did not see/hear alert (n=182) n (%) | Total (n=482) n (%) | Χ2 P value | Bivariable regression P value |
| Demographics | |||||
| Age category | 0.46 | ||||
| ≤29 | 34 (53.1) | 30 (46.9) | 64 (13.3) | Reference | |
| 30–39 | 72 (61.0) | 46 (39.0) | 118 (24.5) | 0.30 | |
| 40–49 | 81 (63.3) | 47 (36.7) | 128 (26.6) | 0.18 | |
| ≥50 | 102 (64.2) | 57 (35.8) | 159 (33.0) | 0.13 | |
| Unknown | 11 (84.6) | 2 (15.4) | 13 (2.6) | 0.05 | |
| Gender | 0.059 | ||||
| Cis man | 183 (61.0) | 117 (39.0) | 300 (62.2) | Reference | |
| Cis woman | 104 (62.7) | 62 (37.3) | 166 (34.4) | 0.73 | |
| Trans and gender expansive* | 9 (100.0) | 0 (0.0) | 9 (1.9) | 0.98 | |
| Unknown | 4 (57.1) | 3 (42.9) | 7 (1.5) | 0.84 | |
| Health authority | 0.041 | ||||
| Fraser | 52 (61.2) | 33 (38.8) | 85 (17.6) | 0.61 | |
| Interior | 75 (57.7) | 55 (42.3) | 130 (27.0) | Reference | |
| Island | 81 (70.4) | 34 (29.6) | 115 (23.9) | 0.039 | |
| Northern | 44 (52.4) | 40 (47.6) | 84 (17.4) | 0.45 | |
| Vancouver Coastal | 48 (70.6) | 20 (29.4) | 68 (14.1) | 0.077 | |
| Urbanicity | 0.99 | ||||
| Large urban | 103 (62.0) | 63 (38.0) | 166 (34.4) | Reference | |
| Medium urban | 108 (62.1) | 66 (37.9) | 174 (36.1) | 1.00 | |
| Small urban | 89 (62.7) | 53 (37.3) | 142 (29.5) | 0.91 | |
| Indigenous identity | 0.27 | ||||
| Non-Indigenous | 164 (65.5) | 86 (34.5) | 250 (51.9) | Reference | |
| Indigenous | 117 (57.4) | 87 (42.6) | 204 (42.3) | 0.072 | |
| Unknown | 19 (67.9) | 9 (32.1) | 28 (5.8) | 0.81 | |
| Current employment† | 0.65 | ||||
| Unemployed | 219 (61.3) | 138 (38.7) | 357 (74.1) | Reference | |
| Employed | 67 (64.4) | 37 (35.6) | 104 (21.6) | 0.57 | |
| Unknown | 14 (66.7) | 7 (33.3) | 21 (4.3) | 0.63 | |
| Currently stably housed‡ | 0.88 | ||||
| Yes | 175 (62.7) | 104 (37.3) | 279 (57.9) | Reference | |
| No | 111 (61.3) | 70 (38.7) | 181 (37.6) | 0.76 | |
| Unknown | 14 (63.6) | 8 (34.4) | 22 (4.5) | 0.93 | |
| Harm reduction characteristics | |||||
| Frequency of harm reduction supply pick up in the past 6 months | 0.061 | ||||
| Never | 15 (41.7) | 21 (58.3) | 36 (7.5) | Reference | |
| Every day | 84 (65.6) | 44 (34.4) | 128 (26.6) | 0.011 | |
| Few times a week | 107 (61.1) | 68 (38.9) | 175 (36.3) | 0.034 | |
| Few times a month | 58 (67.4) | 28 (32.6) | 86 (17.8) | 0.0092 | |
| Once a month or less | 25 (69.4) | 11 (30.6) | 36 (7.5) | 0.019 | |
| Unknown | 11 (52.4) | 10 (47.6) | 21 (4.3) | 0.44 | |
| Have a cell phone | 0.51 | ||||
| No | 121 (60.2) | 80 (39.8) | 201 (41.7) | Reference | |
| Yes | 161 (63.6) | 92 (36.4) | 253 (52.5) | 0.45 | |
| Unknown | 18 (64.3) | 10 (35.7) | 28 (5.8) | 0.68 | |
| Have a naloxone kit | 0.014 | ||||
| No | 47 (50.5) | 46 (49.5) | 93 (19.3) | Reference | |
| Yes | 242 (65.2) | 130 (34.8) | 372 (77.2) | 0.01 | |
| Unknown | 11 (64.7) | 6 (35.3) | 17 (3.5) | 0.29 | |
| Used OD prevention site in the last 6 months | 0.011 | ||||
| No | 191 (59.0) | 133 (41.0) | 324 (67.2) | Reference | |
| Yes | 96 (72.2) | 37 (27.8) | 133 (27.6) | 0.0083 | |
| Unknown | 13 (52.0) | 12 (48.0) | 25 (5.2) | 0.50 | |
| Drug use characteristics | |||||
| Perceived risk of opioid OD | 0.0089 | ||||
| No | 164 (58.0) | 119 (42.0) | 283 (58.7) | Reference | |
| Yes | 106 (73.1) | 39 (26.9) | 145 (30.1) | 0.0023 | |
| Do not know | 24 (63.2) | 14 (36.8) | 38 (7.9) | 0.54 | |
| Unknown | 6 (37.5) | 10 (62.5) | 16 (3.3) | 0.12 | |
| Injected any type of drug in the last 6 months | 0.09 | ||||
| No | 152 (58.7) | 107 (41.3) | 259 (53.7) | Reference | |
| Yes | 135 (66.8) | 67 (33.2) | 202 (41.9) | 0.074 | |
| Unknown | 13 (61.9) | 8 (38.1) | 21 (4.4) | 0.77 | |
| Frequency of use of illicit drugs in the past month | 0.45 | ||||
| Did not use drugs | 6 (46.2) | 7 (53.8) | 13 (2.7) | Reference | |
| Every day | 198 (61.9) | 122 (38.1) | 320 (66.4) | 0.26 | |
| Few times a week | 57 (67.9) | 27 (32.1) | 84 (17.4) | 0.14 | |
| Few times a month | 18 (60.0) | 12 (40.0) | 30 (6.2) | 0.40 | |
| Unknown | 21 (60.0) | 14 (40.0) | 35 (7.3) | 0.39 | |
| Experienced an opioid OD in the past 6 months | 0.29 | ||||
| No | 201 (60.2) | 133 (39.8) | 334 (69.3) | Reference | |
| Yes | 81 (67.5) | 39 (32.5) | 120 (24.9) | 0.16 | |
| Do not know | 4 (50.0) | 4 (50.0) | 8 (1.7) | 0.56 | |
| Unknown | 14 (70.0) | 6 (30.0) | 20 (4.1) | 0.39 | |
| Witnessed an opioid OD in the past 6 months | 0.000072 | ||||
| No | 68 (47.9) | 74 (52.1) | 142 (29.5) | Reference | |
| Yes | 217 (68.9) | 98 (31.1) | 315 (65.4) | 0.000022 | |
| Do not know | 4 (80.0) | 1 (20.0) | 5 (1.0) | 0.19 | |
| Unknown | 11 (55.0) | 9 (45.0) | 20 (4.1) | 0.55 | |
*Includes trans man, trans woman, gender non-conforming and other specified gender.
†Employed includes working part-time, full-time or being a paid volunteer.
‡Stably housed includes living in a private residence, living in another residence (hotel/motel, rooming houses, single room occupancy or social/supportive housing). Not stably housed includes living in a shelter or having no regular place to stay (homeless, couch surfing, no fixed address).
OD, overdose.