Table 2.
Baseline characteristics associated with recent heroin use among veterans participating in VACS, 2002–2012
| Characteristic | Total (%) (N = 3,570) | Reported Recent Heroin Use | p – value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (%) (N = 174) | No (%) (N =3,396) | |||
| Sex | 0.025 | |||
| Male | 3373 (94.5) | 171 (98.3) | 3202 (94.3) | |
| Age | 0.005 | |||
| ≤42 years | 708 (19.8) | 32 (18.4) | 676 (19.9) | |
| 43–49 years | 1043 (29.2) | 61 (35.1) | 982 (28.9) | |
| 50–56 years | 1146 (32.1) | 65 (37.4) | 1081 (31.8) | |
| ≥57 years | 673 (18.8) | 16 (9.2) | 657 (19.3) | |
| HIV Infection | <0.001 | |||
| Yes | 1830 (51.3) | 116 (66.7) | 1714 (50.5) | |
| HCV Infection | <0.001 | |||
| Yes | 1117 (32.9) | 126 (74.1) | 991 (30.8) | |
| Race | <0.001 | |||
| White | 764 (21.6) | 14 (8.2) | 750 (22.3) | |
| Black | 2302 (65.1) | 133 (77.8) | 2169 (64.5) | |
| Hispanic | 324 (9.2) | 14 (8.2) | 310 (9.2) | |
| Other | 144 (4.1) | 10 (5.8) | 134 (4.0) | |
| Education | <0.001 | |||
| High School or Less | 1409 (39.9) | 93 (54.7) | 1316 (39.2) | |
| Some College or Greater | 2119 (60.1) | 77 (45.3) | 2042 (60.8) | |
| Currently Employed | <0.018 | |||
| Yes | 997 (28.0) | 35 (20.1) | 962 (28.4) | |
| Gross Annual Income | <0.001 | |||
| <$6,000 | 713 (20.7) | 59 (35.3) | 654 (20.0) | |
| $6,000 - $11,999 | 896 (26.1) | 54 (32.3) | 842 (25.7) | |
| $12,000 - $24,999 | 880 (25.6) | 28 (16.8) | 852 (26.0) | |
| $25,000 - $49,999 | 684 (19.9) | 25 (14.9) | 659 (20.1) | |
| ≥$50,000 | 265 (7.7) | 1 (0.6) | 264 (8.1) | |
| Marital Status | 0.024 | |||
| Married/Living with Partner | 1064 (30.1) | 38 (22.2) | 1026 (30.5) | |
| Divorced/Separated/Widowed | 1491 (42.2) | 88 (51.5) | 1403 (41.8) | |
| Never Married | 975 (27.6) | 45 (26.3) | 930 (27.7) | |
| Smoke Cigarettes | <0.001 | |||
| Never | 860 (24.4) | 21 (12.4) | 839 (25.0) | |
| Current | 1734 (49.1) | 122 (72.2) | 1612 (48.0) | |
| Former | 936 (26.5) | 26 (15.4) | 910 (27.1) | |
| Marijuana use, Past Year | 0.497 | |||
| Yes | 793 (23.0) | 42 (25.1) | 751 (22.9) | |
| Stimulant use, Past Year | 0.001 | |||
| Yes | 92 (2.7) | 12 (7.3) | 80 (2.5) | |
| Cocaine use, Past Year | <0.001 | |||
| Yes | 599 (17.4) | 54 (32.5) | 545 (16.6) | |
| Any Injection Drug Use, Lifetime | <0.001 | |||
| Yes | 235 (6.6) | 46 (26.4) | 189 (5.6) | |
| Diagnosed Opioid Use Disorder, Past Year | <0.001 | |||
| Yes | 205 (5.7) | 54 (31.0) | 151 (4.4) | |
| Unhealthy alcohol use, Past Year (AUDIT-C score ≥ 3 or 4) | 0.196 | |||
| Yes | 1393 (39.0) | 76 (43.7) | 1317 (38.8) | |
| Ever without a permanent address to call home | <0.001 | |||
| Yes | 1496 (42.1) | 101 (58.0) | 1395 (41.2) | |
| Ever stayed one or more nights in homeless shelter | <0.001 | |||
| Yes | 1373 (38.6) | 101 (58.0) | 1272 (37.7) | |
| Diagnosed PTSD, Past Year | 0.135 | |||
| Yes | 408 (11.4) | 26 (14.9) | 382 (11.2) | |
| Diagnosed Major Depressive Disorder, Past Year | 0.010 | |||
| Yes | 467 (13.1) | 34 (19.5) | 433 (12.7) | |
| Pain Interference in Daily Life, Past Year | 0.342 | |||
| Yes | 1122 (69.4) | 33 (63.5) | 1089 (69.6) | |
| # Close Friends/Family | <0.001 | |||
| None | 400 (11.3) | 34 (19.6) | 366 (10.8) | |
| 1–4 | 2297 (64.7) | 110 (63.6) | 2187 (64.8) | |
| ≥5 | 853 (24.0) | 29 (16.8) | 824 (24.4) | |
| How often you see friends/family | 0.039 | |||
| < once a month | 687 (19.6) | 45 (26.2) | 642 (19.2) | |
| Monthly | 1008 (28.7) | 52 (30.2) | 956 (28.6) | |
| Weekly/Daily | 1816 (51.7) | 75 (43.6) | 1741 (52.1) | |
| Receipt of High-Dose Opioid Rx from the VA | 0.754 | |||
| Yes | 68 (4.5) | 3 (4.8) | 65 (4.4) | |
| Receipt of Long-term Opioid Rx from the VA | 0.878 | |||
| Yes | 361 (23.3) | 15 (24.2) | 346 (23.3) | |
Note:
*
From Chi-square tests or Fisher’s exact tests
HIV=Human Immunodeficiency Virus; HCV=Hepatitis C Virus; PTSD=Post Traumatic Stress Disorder