Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
AIDS and Behavior
Published in: AIDS and Behavior 7/2011

Open Access 01-10-2011 | Original Paper

Difficulty Accessing Syringes Mediates the Relationship Between Methamphetamine Use and Syringe Sharing Among Young Injection Drug Users

Authors: Brandon D. L. Marshall, Jean A. Shoveller, Evan Wood, Thomas L. Patterson, Thomas Kerr

Published in: AIDS and Behavior | Issue 7/2011

Login to get access

Abstract

Injection drug users (IDU) who use methamphetamine (MA) are at an increased risk of HIV infection due to engagement in injection-related risk behavior including syringe sharing. In this cohort study of young IDU aged 18-30, we investigated the relationship between injection MA use and syringe sharing, and whether difficulty accessing sterile syringes mediated this association. Behavioral questionnaires were completed by 384 IDU in Vancouver, Canada between October 2005 and May 2008. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate direct and indirect effects. The median age of participants was 24 (IQR: 22–27) and 214 (55.7%) were male. Injecting MA was independently associated with syringe sharing. Mediation analyses revealed that difficulty accessing sterile syringes partially mediated the association between injecting MA and syringe sharing. Interventions to reduce syringe sharing among young methamphetamine injectors must address social and structural barriers to accessing HIV prevention programs.
Literature
1.
Kerr T, Small W, Buchner C, et al. Syringe sharing and HIV incidence among injection drug users and increased access to sterile syringes. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(8):1449–53.PubMedCrossRef
2.
Pouget ER, Deren S, Fuller CM, et al. Receptive syringe sharing among injection drug users in Harlem and the Bronx during the New York State Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2005;39(4):471–7.PubMedCrossRef
3.
Des Jarlais C, Perlis T, Friedman SR, et al. Behavioral risk reduction in a declining HIV epidemic: injection drug users in New York City, 1990–1997. Am J Public Health. 2000;90(7):1112–6.PubMedCrossRef
4.
Gibson DR, Flynn NM, Perales D. Effectiveness of syringe exchange programs in reducing HIV risk behavior and HIV seroconversion among injecting drug users. AIDS. 2001;15(11):1329–41.PubMedCrossRef
5.
Wodak A, Cooney A. Do needle syringe programs reduce HIV infection among injecting drug users: a comprehensive review of the international evidence. Subst Use Misuse. 2006;41(6–7):777–813.PubMedCrossRef
6.
Golub ET, Strathdee SA, Bailey SL, et al. Distributive syringe sharing among young adult injection drug users in five U.S. cities. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2007;91(Suppl 1):S30–8.PubMedCrossRef
7.
Lloyd-Smith E, Kerr T, Zhang R, Montaner JSG, Wood E. High prevalence of syringe sharing among street involved youth. Addict Res Theory. 2008;16(4):353–8.CrossRef
8.
Bailey SL, Huo D, Garfein RS, Ouellet LJ. The use of needle exchange by young injection drug users. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2003;34(1):67–70.PubMedCrossRef
9.
Sherman SG, Rusch M, Golub ET. Correlates of safe syringe acquisition and disposal practices among young IDUs: broadening our notion of risk. J Drug Issues. 2004;34(4):895–911.
10.
Gindi RM, Rucker MG, Serio-Chapman CE, Sherman SG. Utilization patterns and correlates of retention among clients of the needle exchange program in Baltimore, Maryland. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2009;103(3):93–8.PubMedCrossRef
11.
Darke S, Kaye S, McKetin R, Duflou J. Major physical and psychological harms of methamphetamine use. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2008;27(3):253–62.PubMedCrossRef
12.
Singleton J, Degenhardt L, Hall W, Zabransky T. Mortality among amphetamine users: a systematic review of cohort studies. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2009;105(1–2):1–8.PubMedCrossRef
13.
Fairbairn N, Kerr T, Buxton JA, Li K, Montaner JS, Wood E. Increasing use and associated harms of crystal methamphetamine injection in a Canadian setting. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2007;88(2–3):313–6.PubMedCrossRef
14.
Molitor F, Ruiz JD, Flynn N, Mikanda JN, Sun RK, Anderson R. Methamphetamine use and sexual and injection risk behaviors among out-of-treatment injection drug users. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 1999;25(3):475–93.PubMedCrossRef
15.
Lorvick J, Martinez A, Gee L, Kral AH. Sexual and injection risk among women who inject methamphetamine in San Francisco. J Urban Health. 2006;83(3):497–505.PubMedCrossRef
16.
Marshall BDL, Werb D. Health outcomes associated with methamphetamine use among young people: a systematic review. Addiction. 2010;105(6):991–1002.PubMedCrossRef
17.
Wood E, Tyndall MW, Spittal PM, et al. Factors associated with persistent high-risk syringe sharing in the presence of an established needle exchange programme. AIDS. 2002;16(6):941–3.PubMedCrossRef
18.
Taussig JA, Weinstein B, Burris S, Jones TS. Syringe laws and pharmacy regulations are structural constraints on HIV prevention in the US. AIDS. 2000;14(Suppl 1):S47–51.PubMedCrossRef
19.
Finlinson HA, Oliver-Vélez D, Colón HM, et al. Syringe acquisition and use of syringe exchange programs by Puerto Rican drug injectors in New York and Puerto Rico: comparisons based on quantitative and qualitative methods. AIDS Behav. 2000;4(4):341–51.CrossRef
20.
Tyndall MW, Currie S, Spittal P, et al. Intensive injection cocaine use as the primary risk factor in the Vancouver HIV-1 epidemic. AIDS. 2003;17(6):887–93.PubMedCrossRef
21.
Strathdee SA, Palepu A, Cornelisse PG, et al. Barriers to use of free antiretroviral therapy in injection drug users. JAMA. 1998;280(6):547–9.PubMedCrossRef
22.
Wood E, Stoltz JA, Montaner JS, Kerr T. Evaluating methamphetamine use and risks of injection initiation among street youth: the ARYS study. Harm Reduct J. 2006;3:18.PubMedCrossRef
23.
Kerr T, Marshall BDL, Miller C, et al. Injection drug use among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting. BMC Public Health. 2009;9:171.PubMedCrossRef
24.
Wood E, Montaner JS, Li K, et al. Burden of HIV infection among Aboriginal injection drug users in Vancouver, British Columbia. Am J Public Health. 2008;98(3):515–9.PubMedCrossRef
25.
Sherman SG, Latkin CA, Gielen AC. Social factors related to syringe sharing among injecting partners: a focus on gender. Subst Use Misuse. 2001;36(14):2113–36.PubMedCrossRef
26.
Kerr T, Tyndall M, Li K, Montaner J, Wood E. Safer injection facility use and syringe sharing in injection drug users. Lancet. 2005;366(9482):316–8.PubMedCrossRef
27.
Gu J, Wang R, Chen H, et al. Prevalence of needle sharing, commercial sex behaviors and associated factors in Chinese male and female injecting drug user populations. AIDS Care. 2009;21(1):31–41.PubMedCrossRef
28.
Liang KY, Zeger SL. Longitudinal data analysis using generalized linear models. Biometrika. 1986;73(1):13–22.CrossRef
29.
Hosmer DW, Lemeshow S. Applied logistic regression. 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley; 2000.CrossRef
30.
Baron RM, Kenny DA. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1986;51(6):1173–82.PubMedCrossRef
31.
Sobel ME. Asymptotic intervals for indirect effects in structural equation models. In: Leinhardt S, editor. Sociological methodology. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers; 1982.
32.
van Griensvan F, Keawkungwal J, Tappero JW, et al. Lack of increased HIV risk behavior among injection drug users participating in the AIDSVAX B/E HIV vaccine trial in Bangkok, Thailand. AIDS. 2004;18(2):295–301.PubMedCrossRef
33.
Wood E, Tyndall MW, Spittal PM, et al. Needle exchange and difficulty with needle access during an ongoing HIV epidemic. Int J Drug Policy. 2002;13(2):95–102.CrossRef
34.
Rockwell R, Des Jarlais DC, Friedman SR, Perlis TE, Paone D. Geographic proximity, policy and utilization of syringe exchange programmes. AIDS Care. 1999;11(4):437–42.PubMedCrossRef
35.
Bruneau J, Daniel M, Kestens Y, Zang G, Genereux M. Associations between HIV-related injection behaviour and distance to and patterns of utilisation of syringe-supply programmes. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2008;62(9):804–10.PubMedCrossRef
36.
Fast D, Shoveller J, Shannon K, Kerr T. Safety and danger in downtown Vancouver: understandings of place among young people entrenched in an urban drug scene. Health Place. 2010;16(1):51–60.PubMedCrossRef
37.
Sears C, Guydish JR, Weltzien EK, Lum PJ. Investigation of a secondary syringe exchange program for homeless young adult injection drug users in San Francisco, California, U.S.A. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2001;27(2):193–201.PubMedCrossRef
38.
Darke S, Ross J, Cohen J, Hando J, Hall W. Injecting and sexual risk-taking behaviour among regular amphetamine users. AIDS Care. 1995;7(1):19–26.PubMedCrossRef
39.
Kaye S, Darke S. A comparison of the harms associated with the injection of heroin and amphetamines. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2000;58(1–2):189–95.PubMedCrossRef
40.
Hahn JA, Page-Shafer K, Lum PJ, Ochoa K, Moss AR. Hepatitis C virus infection and needle exchange use among young injection drug users in San Francisco. Hepatology. 2001;34(1):180–7.PubMedCrossRef
41.
42.
Sherman SG, Sutcliffe C, Srirojn B, Latkin CA, Aramratanna A, Celentano DD. Evaluation of a peer network intervention trial among young methamphetamine users in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Soc Sci Med. 2009;68(1):69–79.PubMedCrossRef
43.
Degenhardt L, Baker A, Maher L. Methamphetamine: geographic areas and populations at risk, and emerging evidence for effective interventions. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2008;27(3):217–9.PubMedCrossRef
44.
Cooper HL, Bossak B, Tempalski B, Des Jarlais DC, Friedman SR. Geographic approaches to quantifying the risk environment: drug-related law enforcement and access to syringe exchange programmes. Int J Drug Policy. 2009;20(3):217–26.PubMedCrossRef
45.
Roy E, Haley N, Leclerc P, et al. HIV incidence among street youth in Montreal, Canada. AIDS. 2003;17(7):1071–5.PubMedCrossRef
46.
Bruneau J, Lamothe F, Soto J, et al. Sex-specific determinants of HIV infection among injection drug users in Montreal. Can Med Assoc J. 2001;164(6):767–73.
47.
Solbergsdottir E, Bjornsson G, Gudmundsson LS, Tyrfingsson T, Kristinsson J. Validity of self-reports and drug use among young people seeking treatment for substance abuse or dependence. J Addict Dis. 2004;23(1):29–38.PubMedCrossRef
48.
Shew ML, Remafedi GJ, Bearinger LH, et al. The validity of self-reported condom use among adolescents. Sex Transm Dis. 1997;24(9):503–10.PubMedCrossRef
Metadata
Title
Difficulty Accessing Syringes Mediates the Relationship Between Methamphetamine Use and Syringe Sharing Among Young Injection Drug Users
Authors
Brandon D. L. Marshall
Jean A. Shoveller
Evan Wood
Thomas L. Patterson
Thomas Kerr
Publication date
01-10-2011
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
AIDS and Behavior / Issue 7/2011
Print ISSN: 1090-7165
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3254
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-010-9876-8

Other articles of this Issue 7/2011

AIDS and Behavior 7/2011 Go to the issue

Original Paper

Informal Care and Reciprocity of Support are Associated with HAART Adherence Among Men in Baltimore, MD, USA

Original Paper

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Health Risk Behaviors in Patients with HIV and a History of Injection Drug Use

Original Paper

The Skinny on Sexual Risk: The Effects of BMI on STI Incidence and Risk

Original Paper

Depressive Symptoms and Food Insufficiency Among HIV-Infected Crack Users in Atlanta and Miami

Original Paper

Using People to Cope with the Hunger: Social Networks and Food Transfers Amongst HIV/AIDS Afflicted Households in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Original Paper

Determinants of Optimal Adherence Over Time to Antiretroviral Therapy Amongst HIV Positive Adults in South Africa: A Longitudinal Study
Live Webinar | 27-06-2024 | 18:00 (CEST)

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Reserve your place

Live: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

WHO estimates that half of all patients worldwide are non-adherent to their prescribed medication. The consequences of poor adherence can be catastrophic, on both the individual and population level.

Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.

Prof. Kevin Dolgin
Prof. Florian Limbourg
Prof. Anoop Chauhan
Developed by: Springer Medicine
Obesity Clinical Trial Summary

At a glance: The STEP trials

Read more

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.

Developed by: Springer Medicine
Image Credits