Table 2.
Bivariate associations between lifetime prescription opioid (PO) injection and socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics among 162 young IDUs.
| Variable | Total n = 162 % (n) |
PO injectors n = 117 % (n) |
Non-PO
injectors n = 45 % (n) |
Unadjusted IRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socio-demographic characteristics | ||||
| Site (LA) | 47.5 (77) | 45.3 (53) | 53.3 (24) | 0.91 (0.75–1.11) |
| Age, mean (SD) | 21.4 (2.2) | 21.4 (2.2) | 21.3 (2.3) | 1.00 (0.96–1.05) |
| Sex at birth (Female) (n = 161) | 36.0 (58) | 35.3 (41) | 37.8 (17) | 0.97 (0.79–1.19) |
| Race (White) (n = 161) | 63.4 (102) | 70.7 (82) | 44.4 (20) | 1.39 (1.10–1.77)** |
| Sexual identity (Heterosexual) | 65.4 (106) | 66.7 (78) | 62.2 (28) | 0.95 (0.77–1.17) |
| Poor/working class growing up (n = 161) | 49.7 (80) | 51.3 (60) | 45.5 (20) | 1.07 (0.88–1.29) |
| Completed high school | 63.0 (102) | 62.4 (73) | 64.4 (29) | 0.97 (0.80–1.19) |
| Lifetime homelessness | 94.4 (153) | 97.4 (114) | 86.7 (39) | 2.23 (0.88–5.66)† |
| History of institutionalization | ||||
| Incarceration | 85.2 (138) | 91.5 (107) | 68.9 (31) | 1.86 (1.15–3.02)* |
| Drug treatment | 68.5 (111) | 76.9 (90) | 46.7 (21) | 1.53 (1.16–2.01)** |
| Psychiatric hospital | 49.4 (80) | 54.7 (64) | 35.6 (16) | 1.24 (1.01–1.50)* |
| Lifetime prescribed use | ||||
| Opioids | 82.7 (134) | 86.3 (101) | 73.3 (33) | 1.32 (0.94–1.84) |
| Tranquilizers | 58.6 (95) | 65.0 (76) | 42.2 (19) | 1.31 (1.05–1.62)* |
| Stimulants | 52.5 (85) | 57.3 (67) | 40.0 (18) | 1.21 (1.00–1.48)† |
| Lifetime drug using behaviours | ||||
| Sniffed PO | 81.5 (132) | 86.3 (101) | 68.9 (31) | 1.43 (1.01–2.03)* |
| Smoked PO | 24.7 (40) | 28.2 (33) | 15.6 (7) | 1.20 (0.99–1.44)† |
| PO as substitute for heroin | 65.4 (106) | 74.4 (87) | 42.2 (19) | 1.53 (1.18–1.99)*** |
| Injected Heroin (n = 161) | 87.0 (140) | 93.2 (109) | 70.5 (31) | 2.04 (1.17–3.56)* |
| Cocaine (n = 161) | 68.3 (110) | 76.9 (90) | 45.5 (20) | 1.55 (1.17–2.03)** |
| 1st injection – heroin (n = 155) | 57.4 (89) | 58.8 (67) | 53.7 (22) | 1.06 (0.87–1.28) |
| 1st injection – PO (n = 117) | – | 19.7 (23) | – | – |
| Age of 1st misuse of PO | 14.6 (2.49) | 14.5 (2.4) | 14.9 (2.8) | 0.98 (0.94–1.02) |
| Age of 1st injection of any drug (n = 156) | 17.6 (6.3) | 17.5 (7.1) | 18.0 (3.4) | 1.00 (0.98–1.01) |
| Age of 1st PO injection (n = 117) | – | 18.0 (2.6) | – | – |
| HCV testing (self-report) | ||||
| HCV+ | 30.9 (50) | 39.3 (46) | 8.9 (4) | 1.45 (1.23–1.71)*** |
| Age of HCV + diagnosis | 19.1 (2.5) | 19.2 (2.5) | 18.3 (2.5) | 1.01 (0.98–1.05) |
***
p<0.001,
**
p<0.01,
*
p<0.05,
†
p<0.10.