Table 1.
Characteristics of 205 street-involved youth reporting never having used crystal methamphetamine at baseline.
| Characteristic | Total (%) (n = 205) |
|---|---|
| Age at interview (median [IQRa]) | 21.4 (19.1–23.5) |
| Age of first hard drug use (median [IQR]) | 16.0 (14.0–18.0) |
| Male | 135 (65.8) |
| Caucasian | 116 (56.6) |
| High school drop-out | 140 (68.3) |
| Living in the DTESb,c | 49 (23.9) |
| Homelessness | 134 (65.4) |
| Injection drug use | 26 (12.7) |
| Daily marijuana use | 100 (48.8) |
| Cocaine used | 100 (48.8) |
| Crack cocaine smoking | 93 (45.4) |
| Heroin use | 37 (18.0) |
| Frequent alcohol use | 24 (11.7) |
| Nonfatal overdose | 14 (6.9) |
| Syringe sharing | 3 (1.4) |
| Public injection | 16 (7.8) |
| Hepatitis C positive | 7 (3.4) |
| HIV positive | 2 (1.0) |
| Unsafe sex | 99 (48.3) |
| Mental illness diagnosis | 81 (39.5) |
| Victim of violence | 87 (42.4) |
| Police encounter | 57 (27.8) |
| History of sexual abuse | 46 (22.4) |
| History of physical abuse | 74 (36.1) |
| Sex work | 10 (4.9) |
| Drug dealing | 107 (52.2) |
a
IQR, interquartile range.
b
DTES, downtown eastside.
c
Recent = all behavioral variables refer to the past 6 months.
d
Powder by any route.