Table 3.
Drug and alcohol characteristics by Aboriginality.
| Drug and alcohol use | Smoking cessation RCT | 2009 NSW inmate health survey | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal men % (N = 64) |
Non-aboriginal men % (N = 361) |
Total men % (N = 425) |
Aboriginal men % (N = 259) |
Non-aboriginal men % (N = 538) |
Total men % (N = 797) |
|
| Ever use any drugs | 96.9 | 95.0 | 95.3 | 88.3 | 84.2 | 85.5 |
| Regularly* use any drugs in year before prison | 92.2† | 79.0 | 80.9 | 50.8† | 38.0 | 42.1 |
| Ever use any drugs in prison | 78.1† | 63.2 | 65.4 | 48.0† | 39.3 | 42.1 |
| Ever inject any drugs | 60.9 | 56.0 | 56.7 | 46.1† | 37.2 | 40.1 |
| Mean age when first injected (+SD) | 18.9 (7.7) | 17.9 (4.6) | 18.0 (5.2) | 18.5 (4.2) | 18.5 (4.2) | 18.5 (4.2) |
| Last injection in prison | 32.4 | 33.7 | 33.5 | 22.0 | 22.2 | 22.2 |
| AUDIT score 8+ prior to prison (risky drinker) |
68.8† | 48.5 | 51.5 | 74.2† | 57.0 | 62.6 |
| AUDIT score 20+ prior to prison (dependent drinker) |
31.3† | 18.6 | 20.5 | 44.1† | 29.9 | 34.5 |
| Drank 10+ drinks on typical day prior to prison | 39.1† | 24.7 | 26.8 | 57.8† | 41.2 | 46.6 |
| Drank 6+ drinks daily/almost daily prior to prison | 26.6 | 19.9 | 20.9 | 39.8† | 27.1 | 31.2 |
| Cannabis | ||||||
| Ever use | 93.8 | 92.5 | 92.7 | 87.9† | 81.6 | 83.6 |
| Regularly use in year before prison | 79.7† | 57.1 | 60.5 | 34.4† | 22.6 | 26.4 |
| Ever use in prison | 75.0† | 57.1 | 59.8 | 35.9 | 31.2 | 32.7 |
| Heroin | ||||||
| Ever use | 57.8 | 56.0 | 56.2 | 43.4 | 36.3 | 38.6 |
| Regularly use in year before prison | 40.6 | 37.1 | 37.7 | 13.7† | 6.0 | 8.5 |
| Ever inject | 46.9 | 41.8 | 42.6 | 34.0† | 26.5 | 28.9 |
| Ever use in prison | 32.8 | 34.9 | 34.6 | 17.2 | 15.2 | 15.9 |
| Other opiates | ||||||
| Ever use | 37.5 | 36.8 | 36.9 | 20.7 | 18.2 | 19.0 |
| Regularly use in year before prison | 18.8 | 15.5 | 16.0 | 7.0† | 3.0 | 4.3 |
| Ever inject | 29.7 | 24.1 | 24.9 | 15.6 | 12.6 | 13.6 |
| Ever use in prison | 15.6 | 19.4 | 18.8 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.7 |
| Amphetamines | ||||||
| Ever use | 76.6 | 77.0 | 76.9 | 60.2 | 56.2 | 57.5 |
| Regularly use in year before prison | 46.9 | 49.0 | 48.7 | 17.2 | 13.0 | 14.3 |
| Ever inject | 53.1 | 44.6 | 45.9 | 37.5† | 26.1 | 29.8 |
| Ever use in prison | 26.6 | 28.8 | 28.5 | 10.2 | 9.8 | 9.9 |
| Cocaine | ||||||
| Ever use | 56.3 | 58.7 | 58.4 | 38.7† | 47.9 | 44.9 |
| Regularly use in year before prison | 39.1 | 35.7 | 36.2 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.3 |
| Ever inject | 35.9 | 29.9 | 30.8 | 21.1 | 15.8 | 17.5 |
| Ever use in prison | 20.3 | 18.6 | 18.8 | 5.1 | 6.4 | 6.0 |
| Tranquilisers | ||||||
| Ever use | 32.8 | 40.4 | 39.3 | 22.7 | 24.6 | 24.0 |
| Regularly use in year before prison | 15.6 | 17.7 | 17.4 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.3 |
| Ever inject | 6.3 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.4 |
| Ever use in prison | 18.8 | 18.0 | 18.1 | 6.3 | 8.1 | 7.5 |
†Statistically significant P < 0.05 comparing aboriginal and non-aboriginal male inmates. *Daily/almost daily use drugs prior to prison.