Table 3.
Results of logistic regression identifying factors associated with sharing syringes and drug preparation equipment during the past 6 months
| Syringes (n = 198) |
Drug preparation equipment (container, filter, or water) (n = 240) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OR (95% CI) | Adjusted OR (95% CI) | OR (95% CI) | Adjusted OR 95% CI) | |
| Demographic | ||||
| Unstable housinga | 2.45 (1.44–4.17) | 1.89 (1.19–3.00) | ||
| Drug use | ||||
| Cocaine injectinga (vs. heroin) | 3.12 (1.18–8.20) | 3.96 (1.05–14.98) | 1.36 (0.71–2.58) | |
| Polydrug usea | 2.04 (1.18–3.53) | 2.76 (1.11–6.82) | 2.22 (1.38–3.55) | |
| Public/semipublic injectingb (vs. private) | 2.98 (1.61–5.49) | 2.64 (1.09–6.38) | 2.79 (1.64–4.74) | 2.42 (1.26–4.65) |
| Required or provided help injectingb | 4.13 (2.37–7.20) | 6.28 (3.81–10.34) | ||
| Tried to use sterile materials for each injectionb | 0.12 (0.05–0.28) | 0.23 (0.10–0.53) | ||
| Experienced problems obtaining sterile materialsa | 3.22 (1.59–6.52) | 4.29 (2.07–8.88) | ||
| Used sterile injection kit (container, filter, water)b | 0.37 (0.17–0.80) | 0.42 (0.23–0.79) | ||
| Health status | ||||
| Drug overdose (past year) | 1.89 (1.02–3.49) | 2.21 (1.25–3.88) | ||
| Self-reported poor physical health | 3.11 (1.41–6.80) | 3.73 (1.52–9.22) | 2.94 (1.83–4.72) | 2.82 (1.48–5.36) |
| Self-reported poor mental health | 3.47 (1.64–7.35) | 2.11 (1.01–4.41) | ||
| At least one HIV test (past year) | 2.30 (0.99–5.35) | 4.53 (1.16–17.54) | 1.04 (0.56–1.91) | |
| Knowledgec,d | ||||
| Modes of HCV transmission through shared injecting equipment (1) | 0.68 (0.49–0.95) | 0.72 (0.53–0.97) | ||
| Perceptionsc,d | ||||
| Benefits for oneself and for others from injecting with sterile equipment (13) | 0.46 (0.30–0.69) | 0.30 (0.15–0.58) | 0.47 (0.32–0.69) | 0.52 (0.33–0.88) |
| Barriers to injecting with sterile equipment (global) | 2.03 (1.47–2.79) | 1.41 (1.08–1.85) | ||
| Difficulty to inject more safely due to lack of available sterile equipment, ease of use, and ability to carry injecting equipment without harassment (14) | 1.63 (1.22–2.18) | 2.16 (1.31–3.56) | 1.35 (1.04–1.74) | |
| Personal relationships are compromised due to loss of trust and misperceptions about infection status of injecting partners (15) | 1.57 (1.24–1.99) | 1.41 (1.08–1.85) | ||
| Effectiveness and accessibility of services and treatment for HCV infection (16) | 0.67 (0.49–0.92) | 0.63 (0.47–0.84) | ||
| Self-efficacy/perceived control over safer injecting (global) | 0.09 (0.05–0.16) | 0.16 (0.10–0.43) | ||
| Self-efficacy for safer injecting, to modify injecting practices, and to overcome pressure to share equipment (11) | 0.12 (0.07–0.20) | 0.17 (0.12–0.26) | ||
| Capacity to convince others to safely inject with sterile equipment and refrain from sharing (12) | 0.26 (0.10–0.38) | 0.36 (0.26–0.51) | 0.54 (0.34–0.84) | |
OR = odds ratio, CI = confidence interval.
Note: adjusted for age, sex, HCV status. Variables tested but not significant: gender, age, education, income, years injecting, and psychosocial scales from Table 2 (all global and component scales were considered).
a
Refers to past 6 months.
b
Refers to past month.
c
Number in parenthesis refers to corresponding scale number as listed in Table 3.
d
Scales highly correlated with each other were not included in the multivariable models. In these situations, only the most significantly associated scales were considered.