Factors Associated with Being Asked to Initiate Someone into Injection Drug Use

Injection drug use initiation typically involves an established person who injects drugs (PWID) helping the injection-naïve person to inject. Prior to initiation, PWID may be involved in behaviors that elevate injection initiation risk for non-injectors such as describing how to inject and injecting in front of injection-naïve people. In this analysis, we examine whether PWID who engage in either of these behaviors are more likely to be asked to initiate someone into drug injection.

Interviews with PWID (N = 602) were conducted in California between 2011 and 2013. Multivariate analysis was conducted to determine factors associated with being asked to initiate someone.

The sample was diverse in terms of age, race/ethnicity, and drug use patterns. 

• 71% of the sample had ever been asked to initiate someone. 
• Being asked to initiate someone was associated with having injected in front of non-injectors,
• Having described injection to non-injectors,
• And doing both as compared to doing neither behavior (referent). 
• Being female 
• And non-injection prescription drug misuse in the last 30 days were also associated with having been asked to initiate someone.

Reducing initiation into injection drug use is an important public health goal. Intervention development to prevent injection initiation should include established PWID and focus on reducing behaviors associated with requests to initiate injection and reinforcing refusal skills and intentions among established PWID.

Full article available for purchase at: http://ht.ly/SpLwn 

By: Bluthenthal RN1, Wenger L2, Chu D3, Lorvick J2, Quinn B4, Thing JP5, Kral AH2.

• 1Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States.
• 2Urban Health Program, RTI International, 351 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94104, United States.
• 3Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States.
• 4Centre for Population Health, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
• 5Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States; Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, McClelland Institute for Children Youth and Families, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States.