TABLE 2.
Bivariate analysis of drug use class by socio-demographic characteristics, HIV risk behaviors, health services utilization, and health outcomes among persons who inject drugs, San Diego, CA
| All subjects (N = 505) N (%) | Class 1 Methamphetamine, Multi-routes of administration (N = 232) N (%) | Class 2 Heroin, Primarily injection (N = 273) N (%) | Odds Ratio** | 95% Confidence interval | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socio-demographic characteristics | ||||||
| Male (n = 504) | 372 (73.8%) | 177 (76.6%) | 195 (71.4%) | 0.76 | 0.51,1.14 | 0.19 |
| Mean age (SD) | 43.5 (11.73) | 43.78 (10.7) | 43.17 (12.6) | 1.00 | 0.99, 1.02 | 0.56 |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| White | 260 (51.5%) | 137 (59.1%) | 123 (45.1%) | — | — | — |
| Hispanic | 151 (29.9%) | 55 (23.7%) | 96 (35.2%) | 1.94 | 1.29,2.93 | <0.01 |
| Black | 46 (9.1%) | 16 (6.9%) | 30 (11.0%) | 2.09 | 1.09,4.02 | 0.03 |
| Other | 48 (9.5%) | 24 (10.3%) | 24 (8.8%) | 1.14 | 0.60, 2.06 | 0.73 |
| Educational Attainment | ||||||
| <High School | 173 (34.3%) | 82 (35.3%) | 91 (33.3%) | — | — | — |
| High school or equivalent | 148 (29.3%) | 66 (28.4%) | 82 (30.0%) | 1.12 | 0.72, 1.74 | 0.61 |
| >High School | 184 (36.4%) | 84 (36.2%) | 100 (36.6%) | 1.07 | 0.71, 1.63 | 0.74 |
| Income < $10,000 (n = 503) | 348 (69.2%) | 156 (67.5%) | 192 (70.6%) | 1.15 | 0.79, 1.70 | 0.46 |
| Homeless, past 6 months | 316 (62.6%) | 165 (71.1%) | 151 (55.3%) | 0.50 | 0.35,0.73 | <0.001 |
| Mean years injecting drugs (SD) | 21.18 (13.43) | 20.56 (12.94) | 21.70 (13.84) | 1.01 | 0.99, 1.02 | 0.34 |
| Ever used synthetic drugs (n = 503) | 160 (31.8%) | 84 (36.2%) | 76 (28.0%) | 0.69 | 0.47,1.00 | 0.05 |
| HIV risk behaviors | ||||||
| Ever injected drugs in Mexico (n = 463) | 180 (38.9%) | 77 (35.8%) | 103 (41.5%) | 1.27 | 0.87,1.85 | 0.20 |
| Shared injection paraphernalia, past 6 months (n = 478) | 346 (72.4%) | 156 (70.3%) | 190 (74.2%) | 0.82 | 0.55, 1.23 | 0.33 |
| Shared syringe past 6 months | 251 (59.8%) | 114 (56.2%) | 137 (63.1%) | 1.34 | 0.90,1.98 | 0.15 |
| Used a syringe to divide drugs, past 6 months | 238 (64.9%) | 112 (64.0%) | 126 (65.6%) | 1.07 | 0.70, 1.65 | 0.74 |
| No. of injection partners, past 6 months (n = 502) | ||||||
| Mean (sd) | 2.18 (2.48) | 2.50 (2.90) | 1.91 (2.03) | 0.90 | 0.82,0.98 | 0.01 |
| Median | 2.00 | 2.00 | 1.00 | |||
| IQR | 1.00 | 2.00 | 1.00 | |||
| No. of casual partners, past 6 months (n = 500) | ||||||
| Mean (sd) | 5.16 (18.15) | 5.53 (16.38) | 4.84 (19.56) | 1.0 | 0.99, 1.01 | 0.67 |
| Median | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | |||
| IQR | 2.00 | 3.00 | 1.00 | |||
| Consistent condom use with casual partners, past 6 months (n = 196) | 39 (19.9%) | 18 (15.3%) | 21 (26.9%) | 2.05 | 1.01,4.16 | 0.05 |
| Ever exchanged sex for drugs or money (n = 501) | 151 (30.1%) | 80 (34.9%) | 71 (26.1%) | 0.66 | 0.45,0.97 | 0.03 |
| Health services utilization | ||||||
| Used syringe exchange program, past 6 months | 197 (39.0%) | 93 (40.1%) | 104 (38.1%) | 0.92 | 0.64, 1.32 | 0.65 |
| ≥1 Hospitalization, past 6 months (n = 502) | 51 (22.2%) | 42 (15.4%) | 93 (18.5%) | 0.64 | 0.41,1.01 | 0.05 |
| ≥1 Emergency Room visit, past 6 months (n = 502) | 82 (35.7%) | 86 (31.6%) | 168 (33.5%) | 0.84 | 0.57, 1.21 | 0.34 |
| Lifetime drug treatment (n = 503) | 396 (78.7%) | 174 (75.7%) | 222 (81.3%) | 1.40 | 0.91,2.15 | 0.12 |
| Health outcomes | ||||||
| HIV Seropositive (n = 464) | 41 (8.8%) | 35 (16.5%) | 6 (2.4%) | 0.12 | 0.05, 0.30 | <0.001 |
| Hepatitis C virus Seropositive (n = 464) | 312 (67.2%) | 125 (59.0%) | 187 (74.2%) | 2.00 | 1.35, 2.97 | <0.001 |
| Ever diagnosed with STI (self-report)(n = 501) | 206 (41.1%) | 117 (50.9%) | 89 (32.8%) | 0.47 | 0.33, 0.68 | <0.001 |
| Ever overdosed† (n = 504) | 212 (42.1%) | 74 (32.0%) | 138 (50.5%) | 2.17 | 1.51, 3.12 | <0.001 |
| No. of lifetime overdoses† (n = 504) | ||||||
| Mean (sd) | 2.22 (6.51) | 1.87 (7.32) | 2.52 (5.74) | 1.02 | 0.10, 1.05 | 0.28 |
| Median | 0.00 | .00 | 1.00 | |||
*
Referent group = Class 1
‡
For males only.
†
Overdosed on heroin, morphine, methadone, or oxycontin.