Changes in the Sharing of Drug Injection Equipment among Street-Recruited Injection Drug Users in Chicago, Illinois, 1994-1996

• Published in: Substance use & misuse 2005, Vol.40 (1), p.63-76
• Main Authors: Huo, Dezheng, Bailey, Susan L., Garfein, Richard S., Ouellet, Lawrence J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; Addictive behaviors; Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Changes; Chicago; Chicago, Illinois; Drug Abuse; Drug Injection; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Surveys; Hepatitis C - prevention & control; Hepatitis C - transmission; HIV; HIV infections; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - transmission; Humans; Intravenous drug addicts Needle sharing; intravenous substance abuse; Longitudinal studies; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Needle Sharing; Needle Sharing - trends; needle-exchange program; Needle-Exchange Programs - trends; Prevention; Psychoanalysis; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Substance Abuse; Substance Abuse, Intravenous - epidemiology; Syringes; Urban Population - statistics & numerical data; USA
• ISSN: 1082-6084; 1532-2491
• DOI: 10.1081/JA-200030495

This study examines changes in the multi-person use of drug injection paraphernalia during the mid-1990s, a time of increasing awareness of HIV transmission modes and availability of prevention programs. Beginning in 1994, 794 street-recruited injection drug users in Chicago were interviewed and followed at 6 and 12 months postbaseline. Random-effects, pattern-mixture logistic regression models were used to determine correlates of five injection-equipment sharing practices, while accounting for repeated measurement and study attrition. At baseline, 45.7% of participants reported receptive syringe sharing in the previous 6 months. Syringe-mediated sharing was reported by 28.7% of participants and the sharing of cookers (65.1%), cotton filters (55.7%), and rinse water (46.9%) was common. During follow-up, the proportion of all sharing behaviors decreased significantly, especially receptive syringe sharing. Participation in a syringe exchange program was associated with reductions in receptive syringe sharing and syringe-mediated sharing, but not the sharing of cookers.