The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #72626

Basmattee Boodram, MPH, Susan L. Bailey, PhD, and Lawrence Ouellet, PhD. School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1603 W. Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60612, 312-355-3806, bboodram@uic.edu

Objective: To examine injection practices and HCV prevalence among young IDUs from metropolitan Chicago. Methods: IDUs 15-30 years old were recruited in Chicago through street outreach and respondent-driven sampling for the on-going CDC-funded CIDUS III/DUIT study. Computerized self-administered interviews and serological data were collected. Results: Participants (n=380 to date) were mostly residents of suburban zip code areas (67%), male (63%), non-Hispanic white (83%) with a median age of 23. The median years of injection was 3 (range 1-18), the median injections per day was 3 (range 1-10), 60% reported recent receptive needle sharing, and 74% shared other injection paraphernalia. These demographic and drug use characteristics did not differ at statistically significant levels between suburban and urban participants. HCV prevalence was 11% and was not statistically different between suburban (10%) and urban (12%) participants. Years of injection was highly associated with HCV prevalence (X²=12.2, p<.0005). After controlling for age, race/ethnicity, gender, and years of injection, HCV prevalence was significantly associated with prior incarceration (X²=10.6, p<.001), injecting speedball, (X²=3.8, p<.05), injecting with needles used before by someone else more than half the time (X²=11.5, p<.001), sharing needles with a sex partner (X²=5.1, p<.03), sharing cotton (X²=6.8, p<.009), and sharing rinse water (X²=7.0, p<.01). Conclusion: Though the HCV prevalence was relatively low, the injection practices of these young, predominantly suburban IDUs place them at increased risk for HCV infection. Within this primarily heroin-injecting population, the injection of speedball may increase the risk for HCV infection.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify drug use and injection risk practices associated with increased risk for HCV infection among young, predominantly suburban IDUs.

Keywords: Injection Drug Users, Hepatitis C

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.