Table 1.
Characteristics of mobile vs. less mobile IDUs (n=221) *
| Characteristic | More mobile IDUs (n=57) % |
Less mobile IDUs (n=164) % |
Odds Ratio |
95% Confidence Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| % Male | 93.0 | 91.5 | 0.81 | (0.26–2.57) |
| Age (mean years ± SD) | 36.1 ± 8.6 | 34.5 ± 7.6 | ||
| Civil status ‡ | ||||
| Single | 60.0 | 67.9 | ||
| Married/common law | 20.0 | 23.9 | ||
| Divorced/separated | 17.5 | 6.7 | ||
| Widowed | 1.8 | 1.9 | ||
| % Divorced/separated † | 17.5 | 6.7 | 2.96 | (1.18–7.40) |
| Completed secondary school or higher | 24.6 | 35.0 | 0.61 | (0.31–1.20) |
| Job with pay principle source of income in last 6 months † | 40.4 | 22.0 | 2.41 | (1.26–4.59) |
| Earns > 3000 pesos per month § | 34.7 | 41.6 | 0.75 | (0.36–1.53) |
| Homeless (last 6 months) | 56.7 | 52.6 | ||
| Mobility | ||||
| Born outside of the state of Baja California ‡ | 60.7 | 73.5 | 0.56 | (0.28–1.11) |
| Lived in Tijuana at least 10 years † | 80.4 | 59.3 | 2.81 | (1.36–5.84) |
| Worked outside of Mexico in past 10 years † | 24.6 | 45.4 | 0.39 | (0.20–0.77) |
| Crossed border to U.S. (last 6 months) † | 17.9 | 7.6 | 2.63 | (1.07–6.48) |
| Drug Use Activities and Knowledge (last 6 months unless indicated) | ||||
| Age of first injection (mean years ± SD) | 19.7 ± 7.8 | 20.4 ± 6.6 | ||
| Years injecting (mean years ± SD) ‡ | 16.3 ± 9.1 | 14.1 ± 8.2 | ||
| Drugs most frequently used | ||||
| Heroin alone | 38.6 | 30.4 | ||
| Cocaine alone | 0.7 | 0.0 | ||
| Speedball (heroin + cocaine) | 2.1 | 8.7 | ||
| Methamphetamine + Heroin | 53.1 | 52.2 | ||
| Methamphetamine + Cocaine | 1.4 | 2.2 | ||
| Other | 4.2 | 6.5 | ||
| Injects more than once a day ‡ | 64.9 | 51.2 | 1.76 | (0.94–3.29) |
| Distributive syringe/needle sharing†, § | 83.3 | 67.7 | 2.38 | (1.08–5.25) |
| Receptive syringe/needle sharing ‡, § | 85.2 | 74.1 | 2.02 | (0.88–4.63) |
| Injected in any of these places (last 6 months): | ||||
| At home | 29.8 | 36.6 | ||
| At someone else’s home | 28.1 | 23.2 | ||
| Shooting gallery | 75.4 | 67.1 | ||
| Construction site | 19.3 | 17.7 | ||
| Alleyway | 33.3 | 26.2 | ||
| Bar/hangout | 10.5 | 10.4 | ||
| On the street | 42.1 | 39.0 | ||
| Other | 14.0 | 9.8 | ||
| Arrested for carrying new syringes (last month) § | 42.3 | 34.8 | 1.37 | (0.69–2.73) |
| Arrested for carrying used syringes (last month) †, § | 59.3 | 43.2 | 1.93 | (1.28–2.90) |
| Overdose | 13.0 | 6.9 | 2.00 | (0.74–5.46) |
| Identified hepatitis as an infection one can get from drug use † | 17.5 | 37.2 | 0.36 | (0.17–0.76) |
| Identified HIV as an infection you can get from drug use | 76.4 | 83.6 | 0.63 | (0.30–1.34) |
*
Mobile IDUs were defined as those traveling ≥3 km between residence and injection site; deviations from total N were ≤5 unless indicated
†
and bold-face. Statistically significant (p<0.05)
‡
Marginally statistically significant (p<0.10); marginal association with years of injecting disappeared upon age adjustment
§
Total n=198 for income, 212 for distributive and receptive needle sharing, 207 and 209 for arrests for carrying new and used syringes, respectively
SD: Standard Deviation