Table 1.
Socio-demographic, economic, and behavioral characteristics of people who use crack-cocaine related to syphilis in northern Brazil.
| Characteristics | All | Syphilis + (%) | Syphilis − (%) | p-Value * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 990 | 287 (29.0) | 703 (71.0) | - |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 720 | 199 (27.6) | 521 (72.4) | 0.13 |
| Female | 270 | 88 (32.6) | 182 (67.4) | |
| Age (years) | ||||
| 18–29 | 632 | 214 (33.9) | 418 (66.1) | <0.01 |
| 30–40 | 323 | 67 (20.7) | 256 (79.3) | |
| >40 | 35 | 6 (17.1) | 29 (82.9) | |
| Color/race (self-identified) | ||||
| White | 119 | 37 (31.1) | 82 (68.9) | 0.09 |
| Pardo (mixed race) | 594 | 170 (28.6) | 424 (71.4) | |
| Black | 277 | 80 (28.9) | 269 (71.1) | |
| Marital status † | ||||
| Single | 785 | 231 (29.4) | 554 (70.6) | 0.83 |
| Separated or widowed | 148 | 40 (27.0) | 108 (73.0) | |
| Married or co-habiting | 57 | 16 (28.1) | 41 (71.9) | |
| Educational level | ||||
| No formal education | 88 | 26 (29.5) | 62 (70.5) | 0.01 |
| Up to elementary school | 703 | 220 (31.3) | 483 (68.7) | |
| Up to high school/postgraduate | 199 | 41 (20.6) | 158 (79.4) | |
| Monthly income (Brazilian minimum wage) † | ||||
| ≤ one minimum wage ‡ | 750 | 242 (32.3) | 508 (67.7) | <0.01 |
| 2–3 times the minimum wage | 190 | 43 (22.6) | 147 (77.4) | |
| >3 times the minimum wage | 50 | 2 (4.0) | 48 (96.0) | |
| Housing status † | ||||
| Live in your own home or with parents | 556 | 154 (27.7) | 402 (72.3) | |
| Lives in house or rented room | 277 | 81 (29.2) | 196 (70.8) | 0.42 |
| Unstable housing | 157 | 52 (33.1) | 105 (66.9) | |
| Crack-cocaine use time (months) | ||||
| Up to 19 | 119 | 17 (14.3) | 102 (85.7) | <0.01 |
| 20–39 | 290 | 82 (28.3) | 208 (71.7) | |
| >40 | 581 | 188 (32.4) | 393 (67.6) | |
| Shared use of crack-cocaine equipment † | ||||
| Yes | 327 | 106 (32.4) | 221 (67.6) | 0.10 |
| No | 661 | 181 (27.4) | 482 (73.6) | |
| Sexual orientation | ||||
| Heterosexual | 901 | 264 (29.3) | 637 (70.7) | 0.49 |
| Same sex (including bisexual) | 89 | 23 (25.8) | 66 (74.2) | |
| Condom use during sex † | ||||
| Rarely + Never | 697 | 218 (31.3) | 479 (68.7) | <0.01 |
| Sometimes | 178 | 63 (35.4) | 115 (64.6) | |
| Always | 115 | 6 (5.2) | 109 (94.8) | |
| Number of sexual partners † | ||||
| More than 10 | 451 | 149 (33.0) | 302 (77.0) | 0.01 |
| Up to 10 | 539 | 138 (25.6) | 401 (74.4) | |
| Oral sex † | 602 | 181 (30.1) | 421 (69.9) | 0.35 |
| Anal sex† | 311 | 98 (31.5) | 213 (78.5) | 0.24 |
| Exchange of sex for money or illicit drug † | 303 | 115 (38.0) | 188 (62.0) | <0.01 |
| Did not access public health service † | 902 | 269 (29.8) | 633 (70.2) | 0.06 |
* Calculated by Chi-square test. † Last 12 months; Average of Brazilian minimum wage equals BRL 945 (equivalent to USD 100) ‡.