Table 1.
Selected demographic and behavioral characteristics (n = 572)
| Characteristics | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Demographics | |
| Study site | |
| Los Angeles | 298 (52%) |
| San Francisco | 274 (48%) |
| Sexual orientation | |
| Gay or bisexual | 77 (14%) |
| Heterosexual | 495 (87%) |
| Race/ethnicity | |
| White | 190 (34%) |
| Latino | 149 (26%) |
| Black | 176 (31%) |
| Native American | 12 (2%) |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 3 (<1%) |
| Mixed race/other | 38 (7%) |
| Education | |
| Less than high school diploma | 196 (34%) |
| High school diploma or more | 376 (66%) |
| Age | |
| 18–29 | 55 (10%) |
| 30–39 | 60 (11%) |
| 40–49 | 153 (27%) |
| 50 and older | 304 (53%) |
| Income, last 30 days | |
| Less than $1400 | 448 (78%) |
| $1400 or more | 124 (22%) |
| Income sources, last 6 months | |
| Job | 81 (14%) |
| Unemployment benefit | 18 (3%) |
| VA benefits | 11 (2%) |
| Welfare benefits | 184 (32%) |
| SSI or SSDI benefit | 205 (36%) |
| Spouse or partner you live with | 36 (6%) |
| Other family or friends | 81 (14%) |
| Recycling | 149 (26%) |
| Panhandling | 144 (25%) |
| Illegal or possibly illegal income | 209 (37%) |
| Homeless (current) | 353 (62%) |
| Sexual behaviors | |
| Any sex partner in the last 6 months | |
| Any steady sex partner (last 6 months) | 273 (48%) |
| Consistent condom use—100% | 41 (15%) |
| Sex partner is a person who injects drugs | 134 (23%) |
| Any casual sex partner (last 6 months) | 193 (34%) |
| Consistent condom use – 100% | (41%) |
| Sex partner is a person who injects drugs | 118 (21%) |
| Any paying sex partners (last 6 months) | 47 (8%) |
| Consistent condom use – 100% | 21 (45%) |
| Sex partner is a person who injects drugs | 37 (7%) |
| Violence | |
| Childhood sexual assault | 59 (10%) |
| Coerced sex | 9 (2%) |
| Violent victimization (last 12 months) | 239 (42%) |
| Witnessed violence (last 12 months) | 134 (24%) |
| Criminal justice | |
| Currently on probation | 128 (23%) |
| Currently on parole | 59 (10%) |
| Any arrest (last 6 months) | 160 (28%) |
| Drug and alcohol | |
| Drug treatment (last 30 days) | 207 (36%) |
| Age at first injection | |
| 17 years or less | 224 (40%) |
| 18–29 years | 267 (47%) |
| 30 or older | 81 (14%) |
| Injection frequency (last 30 days) | |
| Less than 30 | 283 (50%) |
| 30–89 | 153 (27%) |
| 90 or more | 136 (24%) |
| Injected speedball (last 30 days) | 89 (16%) |
| Injected goofball (last 30 days) | 70 (12%) |
| Injected crack cocaine (last 30 days) | 51 (9%) |
| Injected powder cocaine (last 30 days) | 57 (10%) |
| Injected methamphetamine (last 30 days) | 222 (39%) |
| Injected heroin (last 30 days) | 441 (77%) |
| Injected prescription opioid (last 30 days) | 71 (12%) |
| Overdosed (last 6 months) | 41 (7%) |
| Witnessed an overdose (last 6 months) | 131 (23%) |
| Health | |
| Mental health diagnosis (ever) | 243 (43%) |
| Received HIV-positive test result (ever) | 45 (8%) |
| Received HCV-positive test result (ever) | 182 (68%) |