Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of PROUD participants
| Variable | N = 663 |
|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | n (%) |
| Age | |
| Mean (SD) | 41.4 (10.8) |
| Median (IQR) | 43 (33–50) |
| Age category (years) | |
| < = 24 | 54 (8.1%) |
| 25 to 34 | 134 (20.2%) |
| 35 to 44 | 182 (27.5%) |
| 45+ | 293 (44.2%) |
| Gender | |
| Male | 501 (75.6%) |
| Female | 162 (24.4%) |
| Ethnicity | |
| Indigenous onlya | 120 (18.1%) |
| Other/no answer | 543 (81.9%) |
| First language | |
| French | 102 (15.4%) |
| English | 512 (77.2%) |
| Other/no answer | 49 (7.4%) |
| Sexual orientation | |
| Heterosexual | 587 (88.5%) |
| Gay/lesbian/homosexual/other | 76 (11.5%) |
| Neighborhood of residence | |
| Market/Lowertown | 273 (41.2%) |
| Centretown | 117 (17.6%) |
| Other | 273 (41.2%) |
| Neighborhood Income Quintile | |
| 1 (lowest) | 246 (37.1%) |
| 2 | 196 (29.6%) |
| 3 | 144 (21.7%) |
| 4 and 5 (highest) | 64 (9.6%) |
| Missing | 13 (2.0%) |
| Highest level of education | |
| Some high school or less | 308 (46.5%) |
| High school graduate or equivalent | 193 (29.1%) |
| Some college or university | 99 (14.9%) |
| College or university completed | 63 (9.5%) |
| Provincial social assistance benefits | |
| Disability payments (Ontario Disability Support Program) | 342 (51.6%) |
| Income assistance (Ontario Works) | 164 (24.7%) |
| Other (includes Trillium, 65y+, none) | 157 (23.7%) |
| Comorbidity | |
| No comorbidity (0 ADGs)b | 82 (12.4%) |
| Low comorbidity (1–5 ADGs) | 242 (36.5%) |
| Medium comorbidity (6–9 ADGs) | 169 (25.5%) |
| High comorbidity (> = 10 ADGs) | 170 (25.6%) |
| Social characteristics | n (%) |
| Received drugs, money, gifts for sex last 12 months | 82 (12.4%) |
| Stable housing | 248 (37.4%) |
| Ever red zoned | 212 (32.0%) |
| Detained in jail overnight or longer ever | 510 (76.9%) |
| Detained in jail overnight or longer last 12 months | 252 (38.0%) |
| Drug use characteristics | n (%) |
| Ever injected drugs | 462 (69.7%) |
| Drug use in past 12 months | |
| Any injection | 326 (49.2%) |
| Non-injection use of only non-opioids | 271 (40.9%) |
| Non-injection drug use of both opioids and non-opioids | 390 (58.8%) |
| Ever injected with used needle | 185 (27.9%) |
| Ever with unknown needle | 126 (19.0%) |
| Frequency of injecting with others in past 12 months | |
| Always | 81 (12.2%) |
| Most of the time | 46 (6.9%) |
| Usually/sometimes/occasionally | 140 (21.1%) |
| Never | 54 (8.1%) |
| Other | 342 (51.6%) |
| Location of injection drug use | |
| House/apartment | 100 (15.1%) |
| Public place | 563 (84.9%) |
| Most frequent location of injection drug use | |
| House/apartment | 207 (31.25) |
| Public place | 456 (68.8%) |
| Ever overdosed | 302 (45.6%) |
| Overdosed in past 12 months | 113 (17.0%) |
| Last overdose taken to ED/hospital | 144 (21.7%) |
| Health characteristics | n (%) |
| Comorbid HIV | 50 (7.5%) |
| Comorbid mental health condition (excluding substance use) | 341 (51.4%) |
| Self-reported health status | |
| Excellent/very good | 154 (23.2%) |
| Good | 249 (37.6%) |
| Fair/poor/no answer | 260 (39.2%) |
| Ever suicidal ideation | 389 (58.7%) |
| Ever attempted suicide | 227 (34.2%) |
| Attempted suicide in last 12 months | 61 (9.2%) |
| Ever tested for Hepatitis C | 562 (84.8%) |
| Reported last Hepatitis C test results | |
| Positive | 258 (38.9%) |
| Negative | 268 (40.4%) |
| No answer/don’t know/missing | 137 (20.7%) |
| Health care utilization | n (%) |
| Received support from peer worker | 277 (41.8%) |
| Received support from social support organization | 402 (60.6%) |
| Have a regular doctor | 373 (56.2%) |
| Been to a health clinic/doctor office/walk-in in past 12 months | 399 (60.2%) |
| # of outpatient primary care visits in 1 year prior to survey completion | |
| Mean (SD) | 9.9 (16.8) |
| Median (IQR) | 4 (0–10) |
| Care engagement | |
| Engaged in primary care | 372 (56.1%) |
| Not engaged in primary care | 291 (43.8%) |
| Ever on methadone | 223 (33.6%) |
| Currently on methadone | 163 (24.6%) |
| Accessed addiction treatment in past 12 months | 239 (36.0%) |
aAlthough” Aboriginal” was the language used in the survey, we use “Indigenous” in this text to reflect current preference
bADGs = Aggregated Diagnosis Groups