Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Full Text Available
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Peer Reviewed
Objective
Injecting drugs alone limits the potential for intervention and has accounted for a significant proportion of overdose deaths, yet the practice remains understudied. We sought to examine the practice of injecting alone among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Vancouver, Canada.
Findings/Key points
Among 1070 PWID who contributed 3307 observations, 931 (87%) reported injecting alone at least once during the study period. In total, there were 729 reports of always injecting alone, 722 usually, 471 sometimes, 513 occasionally, and 872 never. In a multivariable model, factors positively associated with injecting drugs alone included male sex, residence in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood, binge drug use, and experiencing physical or sexual violence or both. Protective factors included Indigenous ancestry and being in a relationship.
Design/methods
Two prospective cohorts of PWID