Table 1. Sample characteristics of people who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada, June – October 2016 (n = 669).
| Characteristic | Total n (%) | UDS result for fentanyl | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Positive 97 (14.5%) | Negative 572 (85.5%) | |||
| Age (median, IQR) | 47 (35–54) | 41 (33–48) | 48 (35–55) | <0.001 |
| Female | 250 (37.4%) | 48 (49.5%) | 202 (35.3%) | 0.008 |
| White ethnicity/ancestry | 367 (54.9%) | 55 (56.7%) | 312 (54.6%) | 0.693 |
| DTES residence* | 354 (52.9%) | 59 (60.8%) | 295 (51.6%) | 0.091 |
| Injection drug use* | 452 (67.6%) | 89 (91.8%) | 363 (63.5%) | <0.001 |
| Using stimulants but not opioids*† | 222 (33.2%) | 5 (5.2%) | 217 (37.9%) | <0.001 |
| Non-fatal overdose* | 85 (12.7%) | 19 (19.6%) | 66 (11.5%) | 0.029 |
| UDS positive for: | ||||
| Morphine/heroin | 346 (51.7%) | 86 (88.7%) | 260 (45.5%) | <0.001 |
| Methadone | 316 (47.2%) | 50 (51.6%) | 266 (46.5%) | 0.358 |
| Buprenorphine | 34 (5.1%) | 10 (10.3%) | 24 (4.2%) | 0.011 |
| Oxycodone | 17 (2.5%) | 4 (4.1%) | 13 (2.3%) | 0.291 |
| Cocaine | 359 (53.7%) | 70 (72.2%) | 289 (50.5%) | <0.001 |
| Amphetamine/methamphetamine | 278 (41.6%) | 73 (75.3%) | 205 (35.8%) | <0.001 |
| Benzodiazepine | 122 (18.2%) | 23 (23.7%) | 99 (17.3%) | 0.131 |
| Cannabis | 287 (42.9%) | 29 (29.9%) | 258 (45.1%) | 0.005 |
DTES: Downtown Eastside. IQR: interquartile range. UDS: urine drug screen.
*
Denotes behaviours and events in the previous six months.
†
Stimulants include power and crack cocaine, crystal methamphetamine and MDMA, while opioids include heroin and any prescription opioids that were used non-medically.