Table 1.
Number and Percentage (%) with each Syringe Source |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Variables, No. (%) | All IDUs (n=95) |
Control IDUs (n=66) |
Intervention IDUs (n=29) |
P-value |
Sociodemographic Variables | ||||
Age | <0.0001 | |||
18 to 29 | 16 (17.6) | 13 (19.7) | 3 (12.0) | |
30 to 39 | 40 (44.0) | 36 (54.5) | 4 (16.0) | |
40 to 49 | 25 (27.5) | 12 (18.2) | 13 (52.0) | |
50 and older | 10 (11.0) | 5 (7.6) | 5 (20.0) | |
Age (Median) | 37 | 35.5 | 45 | <0.0001 |
Sex (Male) | 74 (81.3) | 53 (80.3) | 21 (84.0) | 0.77 |
Race | 0.04 | |||
African American / Black | 19 (21.1) | 9 (13.6) | 10 (41.7) | |
Hispanic | 56 (62.2) | 45 (68.2) | 11 (45.8) | |
White | 8 (8.9) | 6 (9.1) | 2 (8.3) | |
Other | 7 (7.8) | 6 (9.1) | 1 (4.2) | |
Education (≥ HS diploma/GED) | 55 (61.1) | 37 (56.1) | 18 (75.0) | 0.21 |
Homeless in the past 6 months | 48 (53.3) | 38 (57.6) | 10 (41.7) | 0.18 |
Traded sex for money in the past 6 months | 23 (25.6) | 23 (34.8) | 0 (0.0) | <0.001 |
Injection practices | ||||
Used a needle used by someone else before you in the past 6 months |
22 (25.29) | 17 (28.8) | 5 (17.9) | 0.27 |
Used only new needles in the past 6m | 60 (67.4) | 41 (67.2) | 19 (67.9) | 0.95 |
Passed a needle along after using it in the past 6m | 33 (37.1) | 27 (44.3) | 6 (21.4) | 0.04 |
Average number of times injecting with a syringe before disposing of it, mean (standard deviation) |
3.1 (3.0) | 3.4 (3.4) | 2.5 (1.8) | 0.14 |
Injected ≥ 5 years | 78 (86.7) | 55 (83.3) | 23 (95.8) | 0.17 |
Syringe acquisition in the past 2 months | ||||
Pharmacy | 65 (69.2) | 41 (62.1) | 24 (85.7) | 0.02 |
Needle Exchange Program | 20 (21.7) | 13 (20.3) | 7 (25.0) | 0.50 |
MD, PA, or nurse | 1 (1.1) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (3.6) | 0.30 |
Shooting gallery | 2 (2.1) | 1 (1.5) | 1 (3.6) | 0.51 |
Diabetic | 10 (10.6) | 7 (10.6) | 3 (19.7) | 1.00 |
Non-Diabetic friend | 11 (11.8) | 5 (7.7) | 6 (21.4) | 0.08 |
Non-Diabetic relative | 2 (2.1) | 2 (3.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0.10 |
Drug or needle dealer | 7 (7.5) | 4 (6.1) | 3 (10.7) | 0.42 |
Other source | 3 (3.2) | 2 (3.0) | 1 (3.6) | 1.00 |
Syringe disposal in the past 2 months | ||||
Brought it to a needle exchange program | 10 (10.6) | 7 (10.6) | 3 (10.7) | 0.69 |
Brought it to a free-standing clinic/health department | 1 (1.1) | 1 (1.5) | 0 (0.0) | |
Threw it away | 70 (74.5) | 47 (71.2) | 23 (82.1) | |
Put it in a sharps container, Fitpack or soda/laundry bottle and then threw it away |
10 (10.6) | 9 (13.6) | 1 (3.6) | |
Other | 3 (3.2) | 2 (3.0) | 1 (3.6) | |
Service utilization in the past 2 months | ||||
Any drug treatment | 36 (38.3) | 28 (42.2) | 8 (28.6) | 0.21 |
Community health clinic | 12 (13.0) | 6 (9.4) | 6 (21.4) | 0.18 |
Private medical office | 16 (17.6) | 8 (12.7) | 8 (28.6) | 0.08 |
ER | 22 (25.0) | 17 (27.0) | 5 (20.0) | 0.50 |
Any use of case management, social work and/or counseling services |
52 (54.7) | 38 (57.6) | 14 (48.3) | 0.40 |
Experiences at a pharmacy in the past 2 months | ||||
Asked to sign a log book or to provide personal information | 7 (9.5) | 3 (6.3) | 4 (15.4) | 0.23 |
Asked what syringes will be used for | 3 (4.1) | 2 (4.2) | 1 (3.8) | 1.00 |
Pharmacist declined to sell syringes | 9 (12.2) | 5 (10.4) | 4 (15.4) | 0.71 |
Pharmacist refused to sell a single syringe | 9 (12.2) | 5 (10.4) | 4 (15.4) | 0.71 |
Pharmacist gave information | 8 (25.0) | 0 (0.0) | 8 (28.6) | 0.55 |
Felt comfortable/very comfortable receiving information from the pharmacist |
14 (87.5) | 2 (100.0) | 12 (85.7) | 1.0 |
Would go to this or any other pharmacist in order to get any needed referral services |
10 (33.3) | 0 (0.0) | 10 (38.5) | 0.27 |
Would return to this pharmacy in order to purchase syringes in the future |
29 (93.6) | 4 (100.0) | 25 (92.6) | 1.00 |
Would return to this pharmacy in order to purchase household/health/beauty products |
20 (64.5) | 2 (50.0) | 18 (66.7) | 0.60 |
Would return to this pharmacy in order to refill medication prescriptions |
24 (77.4) | 2 (50.0) | 22 (81.5) | 0.21 |
Beliefs about pharmacies and syringe exchange programs | ||||
Feel that pharmacists care about my health and well being | 34 (44.7) | 17 (34.7) | 17 (63.0) | 0.02 |
Feel comfortable trying to buy a syringe at any pharmacy even if I don’t know if they will sell one to me before I go into the store |
48 (65.8) | 25 (54.3) | 23 (85.2) | <0.01 |
Feel that the staff at syringe exchange programs care about my health and well being |
58 (81.7) | 34 (75.6) | 24 (92.3) | 0.11 |
Feel that syringe exchange programs are sometimes too far away to get to |
36 (49.3) | 25 (54.3) | 11 (40.7) | 0.26 |
Feel that it is hard to make syringe exchange program hours | 34 (46.6) | 24 (52.2) | 10 (37.0) | 0.21 |
Feel that it is difficult to get a clean syringe when he/she needs one |
16 (20.8) | 13 (26.5) | 3 (10.7) | 0.10 |
Feel that getting other services at syringe exchange programs is important |
60 (84.5) | 37 (84.1) | 23 (85.2) | 1.00 |
Fell that he/she knows which pharmacies to go to for syringes |
72 (94.7) | 44 (91.7) | 28 (100.0) | 0.29 |