2015/01/01 by Anne Guichard, Romain Guignard, France Lert +1 · 11 citations
Medicine · #Demography #Drug injection #Environmental health #Family medicine #HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk #Harm reduction #Hepatitis B Virus Studies #Hepatitis C virus research #Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) #Internal medicine #Logistic regression #Medicine #Needle sharing
paper · pdf · doi:10.1155/2015/507214
published in Journal of Addiction 2015, 1-9 (Hindawi Publishing Corporation)
openalex publication_date 2015/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
UNLABELLED: Background. New drug use patterns may increase the risk of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis infections. In France, new injection patterns among youths with diverse social backgrounds have emerged, which may explain the persistently high rates of hepatitis C virus infection. This study explores factors associated with injection risk behaviours at first injection among users who began injecting in the post-2000 era. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on the Internet from October 2010 to March 2011, through an online questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression identified the independent correlates of needle sharing and equipment (cooker/cotton filter) sharing. Results. Among the 262 respondents (mean age 25 years), 65% were male. Both risk behaviours were positively associated with initiation before 18 years of age (aOR 3.7 CI 95% 1.3-10.6 and aOR 3.0 CI 95% 1.3-7.0) and being injected by another person (aOR 3.1 CI 95% 1.0-9.9 and aOR 3.0 CI 95% 1.3-7.1). Initiation at a party was an independent correlate of equipment sharing (aOR 2.6 95% CI 1.0-6.8). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a need for innovative harm reduction programmes targeting a variety of settings and populations, including youths and diverse party scenes. Education of current injectors to protect both themselves and those they might initiate into injection is critically important.