Table 4.
Socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of 422 prisoners by serologic hepatitis C virus status, Sergipe, Brazil
| Variable | HCV (-) | HCV (+) | P-value |
| Gender (male) | 295 (72.1%) | 8 (61.5%) | 0.531 |
| Mean age (yrs) | 32.56 (8.8) | 36.77 (6.4) | 0.019 |
| Ethnicity (white) | 137 (33.6%) | 4 (30.8%) | 0.833 |
| Christian religion | 314 (76.8%) | 10 (76.9%) | 0.99 |
| Family income (R$) | 777 (1205) | 684 (472) | 0.923 |
| Years of schooling (mean) | 6.5 (5.4) | 6.4 (2.9) | 0.565 |
| Mean incarcerated time (mo) | 43.5 (40) | 30.6 (30) | 0.253 |
| Previous imprisonment | 139 (34.0%) | 11 (84.6%) | < 0.001 |
| History of alcohol use | 298 (73.0%) | 10 (73.9.0%) | 0.756 |
| CAGE (mean) | 1.00 (1.2) | 1.69 (1.2) | 0.033 |
| Household contact with HCV carrier | 17 (4.2%) | 4 (30.8%) | 0.002 |
| History of tattooing | 244 (59.7%) | 13 (100%) | 0.003 |
| Tattooing inside prison | 110 (27.0%) | 6 (46.2%) | 0.202 |
| History of piercing | 39 (9.5%) | - | 0.62 |
| Previous blood transfusion | 39 (9.5%) | - | 0.62 |
| Previously shared razors, toothbrushes, nail trimmers or scissors | 241 (58.9%) | 8 (61.5%) | 0.85 |
| Getting wounded by a sharp weapon in a struggle | 129 (31.5%) | 3 (23.1%) | 0.762 |
| Total | 409 (96.9%) | 13 (3.1%) |
HCV: Hepatitis C virus; CAGE: Cut down, Annoyed by criticism, Guilty e Eye-opener.