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Determinants of injection drug user (IDU) syringe sharing: the relationship between availability of syringes and risk network member characteristics in Winnipeg, Canada
Author(s) -
Shaw Souradet Y.,
Shah Lena,
Jolly Ann M.,
Wylie John L.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01940.x
Subject(s) - syringe , odds , logistic regression , odds ratio , needle sharing , medicine , population , social network (sociolinguistics) , demography , generalized estimating equation , environmental health , family medicine , psychiatry , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , social media , statistics , computer science , world wide web , sociology , syphilis , condom , mathematics
Aims Despite the establishment of syringe exchange programmes, syringe‐sharing behaviour remains common among some injection drug users (IDU). Previous studies have identified several individual‐ and social network‐level variables associated with syringe sharing. We examine the extent to which each of these variables is related independently to this behaviour within a diverse study population. Design, setting and participants A cross‐sectional survey of 435 IDU conducted between December 2003 and September 2004 in Winnipeg, Canada. Measurements Individual and social‐network variables were obtained from a survey instrument administered through a personal interview. Syringe sharing was defined as receptive syringe sharing in the last 6 months. Logistic regression analysis with generalized estimating equations was used to determine simultaneously the role of individual‐level and risk network member‐level variables on the odds of syringe sharing. Findings Individuals' relationship to a risk network member (sex partner, OR: 15.3 95% CI: 7.6–30.8; family member, OR: 3.4 95% CI: 1.3–9.0) and difficulty of access to syringes (OR: 3.6 95% CI: 1.3–9.9) were predictive of syringe sharing. Dyads who ‘often’ pooled resources to obtain drugs were at 4.9 times (95% CI: 2.1–11.6) the odds of syringe sharing, while those who ‘sometimes’ pooled resources were at 2.8 times (95% CI: 1.1–6.7) the odds, compared to those who ‘never’ pooled resources together. Conclusions Syringe sharing in this population depended on both the availability of clean syringes and social network relationships. Adopting interventions that take into account relationships and behaviours that shape social norms present in networks/dyads would be a necessary prevention strategy alongside the provision of clean syringes.