Table 1.
Demographic, drug use and service utilization characteristics of survey participants and non-participants.
| Characteristic | Survey Participants n = 182 % (n/N) |
Non-Participants n = 318 % (n/N) |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Female | 29 (53) | 24 (77) |
| Male | 69 (126) | 74 (235) |
| Transgender | 1 (3) | 2 (5) |
| Not stated | 0 (0) | <1 (2) |
| Age, in years—median (mean; SD) | 42 (43.0; 9.0) | 43 (42.6; 6.9) |
| Aboriginality | ||
| Neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander | 78 (141) | 73 (232) |
| Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander | 17 (31) | 16 (50) |
| Did not specify | 2 (3) | 1 (3) |
| Missing | 4 (7) | 10 (31) |
| Other characteristics (assessed at initial visit) | ||
| Stable accommodation | 60 (92/153) | 67 (86/172) |
| Employed | 20 (35/174) | 22 (63/288) |
| Ever in drug treatment | 61 (111/182) | 59 (188/318) |
| Ever in prison | 45 (77/94) | 41 (117/284) |
| Ever overdosed | 38 (64/169) | 39 (108/278) |
| Health issue | 36 (52/143) | 29 (67/229) |
| Injected drugs daily * | 55 (94/171) | 45 (124/277) |
| Client of local primary health care service ** | 33 (60/182) | 23 (74/318) |
| Drug used most (assessed in the 8 months before survey) a | ||
| Heroin | 54 | 52 |
| Oxycodone | 5 | 5 |
| Buprenorphine ** | 8 | 3 |
| Methadone | 6 | 8 |
| Morphine | 6 | 6 |
| Cocaine | 4 | 2 |
| Methamphetamine | 31 | 40 |
| Service use—median (mean; SD) | ||
| Number of visits since initial visit *** | 313 (796.2; 1308.6) | 97 (406.2; 811.6) |
| Number of visits during survey period *** | 5 (9.0; 10.4) | 2 (2.9; 3.9) |
| Number of referrals in the past 12 months *** | 1 (2.0; 2.7) | 0 (0.6; 1.4) |
| Number of years since initial visit ** | 10.5 (9.4; 8.5) | 8.3 (8.2; 7.6) |
| Age in years when first injected | 18 (19.3; 6.9) | 18 (19.6; 7.0) |
a Among drugs listed; * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001.