TABLE 1.
Demographic and Drug Use Characteristics of 82 Injecting Drug Users Who Reported Ever Having an Injection-Related Wounds
| Characteristic | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Gender | |
| Male | 61 (75.3) |
| Female | 20 (24.7) |
| Race | |
| Black | 76 (92.7) |
| White | 6 (7.3) |
| Current age | |
| < 40 years | 9 (11.0) |
| 40–49 years | 43 (52.4) |
| 50 years or older | 30 (36.6) |
| Completed high school or obtained GED | 45 (54.9) |
| Age when first injected drugs | |
| < 15 years | 10 (12.2) |
| 15–19 years | 40 (48.8) |
| 20–24 years | 9 (11.0) |
| 25–29 years | 9 (11.0) |
| 30 years or older | 14 (17.1) |
| Heroin use | |
| Ever injected | 82 (100.0) |
| Injected in past 30 days | 79 (96.3) |
| Cocaine use | |
| Ever injected | 64 (78.0) |
| Injected in past 30 days | 31 (37.8) |
| Amphetamine use | |
| Ever injected | 16 (19.5) |
| Injected in past 30 days | 1 (1.2) |
| Intravenous drug use | |
| Ever injected | 82 (100.0) |
| Injected in past 30 days | 78 (95.1) |
| Intramuscular drug use | |
| Ever injected | 55 (67.1) |
| Injected in past 30 days | 29 (35.4) |
| Have ever injected subcutaneously | 70 (85.4) |
| Have ever booted or “kicked”a | 76 (92.7) |
| Have ever reused needle | 79 (96.3) |
| Have ever injected with others’ used needle | 47 (57.3) |
| Have ever attempted self-management of injected-related wounds | 77 (93.9) |
a
Booting, or “kicking,” refers to withdrawing blood before injecting drugs or after initially injecting and then re-injecting without removing the needle.