Table 2.
Drug use behaviors among participants at the Miami IDEA syringe exchange
| Characteristics | Sample total n (%) | Fixed site n (%) | Mobile van unit n (%) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 718 (100.0) | 591 (82.3) | 127 (17.7) | |
| Age at first drug injection | ||||
| Mean ± standard deviation | 24.65 ± 8.80 | 24.78 ± 8.85 | 23.70 ± 8.44 | 0.302 |
| Drugs injected, past month1 | ||||
| Heroin | 563 (78.4) | 487 (82.4) | 76 (59.8) | 0.181 |
| Cocaine | 187 (26.0) | 153 (25.9) | 34 (26.8) | |
| Speedball (heroin and cocaine) | 127 (17.7) | 110 (18.6) | 17 (13.4) | |
| Methamphetamine | 73 (10.2) | 68 (11.5) | 5 (3.9) | |
| Fentanyl/carfentanil | 71 (9.9) | 60 (10.2) | 11 (8.7) | |
| Crack | 59 (8.2) | 47 (8.0) | 12 (9.4) | |
| Prescription painkillers/opioids | 57 (7.9) | 52 (8.8) | 5 (3.9) | |
| Other | 24 (3.3) | 19 (3.2) | 5 (3.9) | |
| Prescription opioid use prior to injection drug use | ||||
| Yes | 351 (62.0) | 306 (64.3) | 45 (50.0) | 0.010 |
| Location most often inject, past month | ||||
| Private home | 303 (49.2) | 272 (51.9) | 31 (33.7) | < 0.001 |
| Street, park, or parking lot | 250 (40.6) | 200 (38.2) | 50 (54.3) | |
| Public building/restroom | 48 (7.8) | 43 (8.2) | 5 (5.4) | |
| Other | 15 (2.4) | 9 (1.7) | 6 (6.5) | |
| Reuse needle/injection equipment when injecting, past month | ||||
| None of the time | 48 (7.7) | 36 (6.8) | 12 (13.6) | 0.003 |
| Some of the time | 118 (19.0) | 98 (18.4) | 20 (22.7) | |
| Most of the time | 135 (21.8) | 109 (20.5) | 26 (29.5) | |
| All of the time | 319 (51.5) | 289 (54.3) | 30 (34.1) | |
| Shared needle/injection equipment when injecting, past month | ||||
| None of the time | 411 (63.1) | 357 (63.5) | 54 (60.7) | 0.608 |
| Some of the time | 131 (20.1) | 111 (19.8) | 20 (22.5) | |
| Most of the time | 52 (8.0) | 47 (8.4) | 5 (5.6) | |
| All of the time | 57 (8.8) | 47 (8.4) | 10 (11.2) | |
| Used alcohol swab when injecting, past month | ||||
| None of the time | 117 (54.9) | 55 (44.0) | 62 (70.5) | 0.002 |
| Some of the time | 46 (21.6) | 33 (26.4) | 13 (14.8) | |
| Most of the time | 21 (9.9) | 16 (12.8) | 5 (5.7) | |
| All of the time | 29 (13.6) | 21 (16.8) | 8 (9.1) | |
1Totals may exceed 100% as participants were allowed to select multiple answers for this question