Table 1.
Characteristics at the start of the sample period (December 1999) stratified by level of monthly income among Vancouver based injection drug users (n = 647)
| Characteristic | Total Monthly Income*
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest n = 161, n (%) |
Low n = 162, n (%) |
Moderate n = 156, n (%) |
High n = 168, n (%) |
|
| Median age (IQR) | 38 (30–44) | 40 (35–46) | 39 (33–45) | 34 (28–41) |
| Female sex | 60 (37) | 57 (35) | 58 (37) | 72 (43) |
| Aboriginal ancestry | 58 (36) | 43 (27) | 51 (33) | 59 (35) |
| Unstable housing† | 54 (34) | 71 (44) | 67 (43) | 97 (58) |
| Sex work† | 9 (6) | 11 (7) | 29 (19) | 56 (33) |
| Drug dealing† | 10 (6) | 13 (8) | 13 (8) | 25 (15) |
| Regular employment† | 16 (10) | 10 (6) | 22 (14) | 12 (7) |
| Daily heroin injection† | 56 (35) | 33 (20) | 63 (40) | 112 (67) |
| Daily cocaine injection† | 34 (21) | 26 (16) | 37 (24) | 71 (42) |
| Daily crack smoking† | 41 (25) | 31 (19) | 43 (28) | 77 (46) |
| Syringe sharing† | 105 (65) | 119 (73) | 116 (74) | 111 (66) |
| Binge drug use† | 40 (25) | 45 (28) | 57 (37) | 60 (36) |
| Non-fatal overdose† | 22 (14) | 15 (9) | 16 (10) | 20 (12) |
| Addiction treatment† | 87 (54) | 80 (49) | 76 (49) | 57 (34) |
| HIV positive | 31 (19) | 76 (47) | 47 (30) | 44 (26) |
*
The four categories of monthly income were defined by non-fixed quartiles for each follow-up. At December 1999, the Lowest income category ranged from $0 to $697, Low ranged from $697 to $980, Moderate ranged from $980 to $2000, and High ranged from $2,000 to $30,586.
†
Activities or situations referring to the previous 6 months
‡
Activities or situations referring to the previous month