Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of people with HCV infection, by treatment initiation status three months following HCV diagnosis in ETHOS Engage (n = 317).
| Characteristic | Current HCV Infection | No Treatment Initiation within Three Months or Lost to Follow-Up | Initiated Treatment Three Months Post Diagnosis | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (col%) | n (% of Current HCV Infection) | n (% of Current HCV Infection) | p Value | ||
| Total (N) | 317 (100%) | 270 (85%) | 47 (15%) | ||
| Age at enrolment | <45 | 184 (58%) | 159 (86%) | 25 (14%) | |
| ≥45 | 133 (42%) | 111 (83%) | 22 (17%) | 0.465 | |
| Gender | Male | 205 (65%) | 177 (86%) | 28 (14%) | |
| Female | 110 (35%) | 91 (83%) | 19 (17%) | ||
| Other | 2 (1%) | 2 (100%) | 0 (0%) | 0.580 | |
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander | No | 241 (76%) | 204 (85%) | 37 (15%) | |
| Yes | 76 (24%) | 66 (87%) | 10 (13%) | 0.639 | |
| Homeless | No | 268 (85%) | 223 (83%) | 45 (17%) | |
| Yes | 49 (15%) | 47 (96%) | 2 (4%) | 0.021 | |
| Currently receiving OAT | No | 98 (31%) | 80 (82%) | 18 (18%) | |
| Yes | 219 (69%) | 190 (87%) | 29 (13%) | 0.235 | |
| Incarceration history | Never | 73 (23%) | 59 (81%) | 14 (19%) | |
| More than 12 months ago | 172 (54%) | 145 (84%) | 27 (16%) | ||
| In last 12 months | 72 (23%) | 66 (92%) | 6 (8%) | 0.165 | |
| Recency of injecting | More than a month ago | 96 (30%) | 81 (84%) | 15 (16%) | |
| Within last month | 221 (70%) | 189 (86%) | 32 (14%) | 0.792 | |
| Hazardous alcohol consumption † | No | 188 (59%) | 160 (85%) | 28 (15%) | |
| Yes | 127 (40%) | 108 (85%) | 19 (15%) | 0.839 | |
| Fibrosis -Fibroscan result (kpa) | <7.0 | 184 (58%) | 154 (84%) | 30 (16%) | |
| >7.0 | 115 (36%) | 101 (88%) | 14 (12%) | ||
| Unknown | 18 (6%) | 15 (83%) | 3 (17%) | 0.604 | |
| No | 61 (19%) | 56 (92%) | 5 (8%) | ||
| Diagnosed with HCV prior to study | Yes, never treated | 204 (64%) | 173 (85%) | 31 (15%) | |
| Yes, ever treated | 52 (16%) | 41 (79%) | 11 (21%) | 0.150 | |
† Excluding people who did not identify as men or women (n = 2). Acronyms–OAT: opioid agonist treatment, HCV: hepatitis C virus. p value based on chi-square test of differences.