TABLE 5.
Demographic and injection characteristics of 544 California injection drug users self-reporting treatment of previous lifetime abscess, California, 2003–2005
| Characteristic or practice | Did not self-treat last abscess (n = 283) |
Self-treated prior abscess (n = 261) |
P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 0.21 | ||
| <30 years | 8 (2.9) | 14 (5.4) | |
| 30–39 years | 41 (14.7) | 33 (12.7) | |
| 40–49 years | 101 (36.2) | 108 (41.5) | |
| 50+ years | 129 (46.2) | 105 (40.4) | |
| Race | 0.004 | ||
| White | 54 (19.4) | 55 (21.5) | |
| Black | 116 (41.6) | 70 (27.3) | |
| Latino | 92 (33.0) | 116 (45.3) | |
| Other | 17 (6.1) | 15 (5.9) | |
| Gender | 0.32 | ||
| Male | 203 (71.7) | 177 (67.8) | |
| Female | 80 (28.3) | 84 (32.2) | |
| Homeless | 0.67 | ||
| No | 128 (46.0) | 114 (44.2) | |
| Yes | 150 (54.0) | 144 (55.8) | |
| SEP client | 0.95 | ||
| No | 95 (33.6) | 87 (33.3) | |
| Yes | 188 (66.4) | 174 (66.7) | |
| Years of injecting | 0.43 | ||
| <10 years | 28 (10.0) | 33 (12.7) | |
| 10–19 years | 52 (18.6) | 40 (15.4) | |
| 20+ years | 199 (71.3) | 187 (71.9) | |
| Injection frequency | 0.01 | ||
| 1–29 a month | 61 (21.7) | 32 (12.3) | |
| 30–89 a month | 85 (30.3) | 84 (32.2) | |
| 90+ a month | 135 (48.0) | 145 (55.6) | |
| Medical care | 0.0007 | ||
| No usual place for care | 80 (28.3) | 110 (42.2) | |
| Have a usual place for care | 203 (71.7) | 151 (57.9) | |
| Usual place of care | < 0.0001 | ||
| Private doctor’s office | 12 (5.9) | 24 (15.9) | |
| Community clinic | 55 (27.1) | 42 (27.8) | |
| Hospital outpatient clinic | 60 (29.6) | 24 (15.9) | |
| Emergency room | 49 (24.1) | 44 (29.1) | |
| Syringe exchange program | 0(0.0) | 4 (2.6) | |
| Other | 23 (11.3) | 19 (12.6) | |
| Refuse to answer | 4 (2.0) | 6 (4.0) | |
| Insurance | 0.20 | ||
| No insurance | 161 (56.9) | 162 (62.3) | |
| Insured | 122 (43.1) | 98 (37.7) |