Table 2.
Injection practices among 1158 Injection Drug Users (IDUs) in Chennai, India
| Variable | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Age at initiation of drug use | |
| Median (IQR) | 25 (20 – 30) |
| Injected in the prior 1 month | |
| Yes | 876 (75.7) |
| Drug injected in the prior 1 month† | |
| Heroin/ Brown Sugar | 702 (80.1) |
| Buprenorphine (Tidigesic) | 265 (30.3) |
| Pheniramine Maleate (Avil) | 320 (36.5) |
| Benzodiazepines | 84 (9.6) |
| Promethazine | 40 (4.6) |
| Combinations of two or more of the above listed drugs | 429 (49) |
| Injection/paraphernalia sharing in the prior 1 month† | |
| Used another persons syringe/needle | 327 (37.3) |
| ➢ Number of times [median (IQR)] | 3 (2 – 8) |
| ➢ Number of persons [median (IQR)] | 3 (2 – 3) |
| Passed his/her needle/syringe to another | 341 (38.9) |
| Passed his/her cotton filter to another | 252 (28.8) |
| Shared paraphernalia with a known-HIV positive person | 19 (2.17) |
| Needle acquisition in the prior one month† | |
| Pharmacy | 777 (88.7) |
| Hospital Dispensary | 5 (0.57) |
| Needle-exchange | 6 (0.68) |
| Friend | 42 (4.79) |
| Non-governmental organization | 70 (7.99) |
| Storage of injection paraphernalia in the prior month | |
| Buried in the ground | 222 (25.3) |
| Syringe Locker (behind bricks in walls, etc) | 264 (30.1) |
| Public Toilets | 57 (6.51) |
| Dealer’s Place | 7 (0.79) |
| Needle disposal in the prior one month† | |
| Garbage | 686 (78.3) |
| Needle-exchange | 29 (3.31) |
| Public Toilet | 26 (2.97) |
| Public Space (street, park, etc) | 40 (4.56) |
| Someone else disposed of the needles | 84 (9.59) |
| Always disabled and disposed needle in a manner to minimize needle-stick injuries | 112 (12.8) |
| Needle injection venues in the prior 1 month† | |
| Home | 242 (27.6) |
| Dealers Place | 130 (14.8) |
| Public Toilets | 264 (30.1) |
| Public Parks | 158 (18) |
| Friend’s residence | 55 (6.3) |
| Injection networks in the prior 1 month† | |
| Injected alone | 548 (62.6) |
| Injected with well-known people | 361 (41.2) |
| Injected with not well-known or unknown people | 4 (0.46) |
| Needle cleaning in the prior one month† | |
| Always cleaned before use | 534 (61) |
| Always cleaned after use | 512 (58.5) |
| Ever used bleach to clean | 0 |
| Ever cleaned with alcohol | 5 (0.58) |
| Ever cleaned with tap water | 479 (54.7) |
| Ever cleaned with soap and water | 247 (28.2) |
| Ever cleaned with distilled water | 23 (2.62) |
†
Questions were asked only of the 876 who reported injecting in the prior one month