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Characterising the increasing prevalence of crystal methamphetamine use in Vancouver, Canada, from 2006–2017: A gender‐based analysis
Author(s) -
Bach Paxton,
Hayashi Kanna,
Milloy MJ,
Nosova Ekaterina,
Kerr Thomas,
Wood Evan,
Fairbairn Nadia
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1111/dar.13126
Subject(s) - polysubstance dependence , medicine , demography , odds ratio , methamphetamine , confidence interval , odds , environmental health , cohort , cohort study , psychiatry , substance abuse , logistic regression , sociology
Methamphetamine use is increasing in North America and is associated with numerous negative health effects and social harms. As drug‐related harms are often gendered, this study sought to examine the differential impacts of gender on the trends, risk factors and health implications of crystal methamphetamine use among a Canadian cohort of people with high rates of injection polysubstance use. Methods Data were collected from two prospective cohorts of people who inject drugs in Vancouver, Canada. We examined trends in reported crystal methamphetamine use from 2006–2017 using the Cochrane‐Armitage test for trend. We used multivariable generalised estimating equations, stratified by gender, to determine independent risk factors and health outcomes associated with crystal methamphetamine use. Results In total, 1984 participants were included in the study, including 694 (35%) women. The prevalence of reported crystal methamphetamine use within the previous 6 months rose from 19% in 2006 to 36% in 2017, with a rise seen in both genders ( P < 0.001). Reported crystal methamphetamine use was associated with numerous risk behaviours and drug‐related harms in both genders, and in women it was associated with an increase in experiences of sexual violence (adjusted odds ratio 1.64, 95% confidence interval 1.18, 2.27). Conclusions These findings demonstrate the rising prevalence of reported crystal methamphetamine use in Vancouver in a cohort with high rates of polysubstance use. This work highlights drug and sex‐related risk behaviours associated with crystal methamphetamine use for both genders, and underscores the need to develop strategies to address the growing use of crystal methamphetamine.