Reduction in Needle Sharing among Seattle-Area Injection Drug Users Across 4 Surveys, 1994-2013
OBJECTIVES:
We
evaluated time trends in sharing needles and other injection equipment from
1994 to 2013 among injection drug users in the Seattle, Washington, area.
METHODS:
We
combined data from 4 sources: the Risk Activity Variables, Epidemiology, and
Network (RAVEN) study, recruited from institutional settings; the Kiwi study,
recruited from jails; National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system (NHBS)
surveys, which used respondent-driven sampling; and surveys at needle-exchange
sites.
RESULTS:
Levels of
needle sharing were higher in the earlier studies: RAVEN, 1994 to 1997 (43%)
and Kiwi, 1998 to 2002 (61%). In the NHBS surveys, the initial level of 44% in
2005 declined to 31% in the period 2009 to 2012. Across needle-exchange surveys
(2009-2013) the level was 21%. There was a parallel reduction in sharing other
injection equipment. These trends persisted after control for sociodemographic
and risk-associated variables. There was a contemporaneous increase in the
number of needles distributed by local needle exchanges and a decline in the
number of reported HIV cases among injection drug users.
CONCLUSIONS:
The
apparent long-term reduction in sharing injection equipment suggests
substantial success in public health efforts to reduce the sharing of injection
equipment.
- 1The authors are with the HIV/STD Program, Public Health-Seattle & King County, Seattle, WA.
No comments:
Post a Comment