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Prevalence and correlates of crack-cocaine injection among young injection drug users in the United States, 1997–1999

2004; Elsevier BV; Volume: 77; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2004.08.020

1879-0046

Scott Santibañez, Richard S. Garfein, Andrea Swartzendruber, Peter R. Kerndt, Edward V. Morse, Danielle C. Ompad, Steffanie A. Strathdee, Ian T. Williams, Samuel R. Friedman, Lawrence J. Ouellet,

Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis

We estimated prevalence and identified correlates of crack-cocaine injection among young injection drug users in the United States.We analyzed data from the second Collaborative Injection Drug Users Study (CIDUS II), a 1997-1999 cohort study of 18-30-year-old, street-recruited injection drug users from six US cities.Crack-cocaine injection was reported by 329 (15%) of 2198 participants. Prevalence varied considerably by site (range, 1.5-28.0%). No participants injected only crack-cocaine. At four sites where crack-cocaine injection prevalence was greater than 10%, recent (past 6 months) crack-cocaine injection was correlated with recent daily injection and sharing of syringes, equipment, and drug solution. Lifetime crack-cocaine injection was correlated with using shooting galleries, initiating others into drug injection, and having serologic evidence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection.Crack-cocaine injection may be a marker for high-risk behaviors that can be used to direct efforts to prevent HIV and other blood-borne viral infections.