2025/10/26 by Eirik Opheim, Kristian Nødtvedt Malme, Olav Dalgård +13 · 1 voice
Medicine · #HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk #Hepatitis C virus research #Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/dar.70060
openalex publication_date 2025/10/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
INTRODUCTION: Sharing needles, syringes and drug preparation paraphernalia among people who inject drugs poses a significant risk of transmission of blood-borne infections. To achieve and maintain the elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030, risk behaviour must be kept at a low level. The aim of this study was to assess changes in injecting risk behaviour among people who inject drugs in Oslo between 2002 and 2024. METHODS: This was an analysis of eight cross-sectional studies among people who inject drugs in Oslo conducted in 2002, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. We calculated prevalence estimates of recent (past 4 weeks) risk behaviour each year and used generalised estimating equations to identify factors associated with recent risk behaviour. RESULTS: A total of 1648 participants were included. The median age was 39.4 years, 71.7% were men and 54.2% reported daily injecting drug use. Recent sharing of needles/syringes decreased from 17.8% (95% CI 13.6, 22.5) in 2002 to 4.2% (95% C: 1.9, 7.8) in 2024. Recent sharing of needles/syringes was negatively associated with increasing age (every 10-year increment; aOR 0.62; 95% CI 0.50, 0.76) and was associated with daily injecting (aOR 2.07; 95% CI 1.38, 3.12) compared to less than daily and with mixed heroin and amphetamine as the drug most frequently injected (aOR 1.63; 95% CI: 1.04, 2.55) compared to heroin alone. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: A decline in the prevalence of recent risk behaviour among people who inject drugs in Oslo was observed between 2002 and 2024. Risk behaviour remains common among younger individuals.