Studies from developed countries document the presence of
injecting drug use among females and significantly higher vulnerabilities and
risks as compared with male injecting drug users (IDUs). Studies comparing
vulnerabilities and drug use patterns between female and male IDUs are not
available for developing countries.
The aim of the study was to assess the drug use pattern and
related HIV vulnerabilities among female IDUs and compare these findings with
those from male IDUs from four states of Northeast India.
The study used data collected as part of a nationwide study
of drug use pattern and related HIV vulnerabilities among IDUs. Ninety-eight
female and 202 male IDUs accessing services from harm reduction sites across
the four states of Northeast region of India were chosen through random
sampling methodology. Drug use pattern, injecting practices, and knowledge of
HIV were assessed using a structured questionnaire.
Significantly higher proportion of female IDUs was
uneducated, unemployed, reported their occupation as sex workers, and switched
to injecting drug use faster as compared with male IDUs. Female IDUs practicing
sex work differed significantly from those who did not with respect to
frequency of daily injections, choice of drugs injected, and concomitant use of
non-injecting drugs. More than half of female IDUs initiated sharing within the
first month of injecting.
The study demonstrates that female IDUs differ from male
IDUs in their drug use pattern, initiation into injection as well as injecting
behavior, which would be an important consideration during designing of
female-specific interventions.
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By:
- 1a National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences , Ansari Nagar , New Delhi , India.
- 2b United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime , Chanakyapuri , New Delhi , India.
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