1College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
2Drug Dependence Research Center WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Drug Dependence (WHOCC), Thailand
*Correspondence author: Duangta Pawa College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand E-mail: duangtap@gmail.com
Online published on 4 January, 2017.
Studies have indicated 34%-49% of methamphetamines injections among people who inject drugs in Thailand. Essential blood-borne viral and bacterial infections prevention services targeting people who inject drugs should be included in interventional efforts. The aims of the present study were to determine a demographic profile and factors associated with methamphetamine injection within people who inject drugs population in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ninety-one people who inject drugs who reported injecting drugs in the previous six months and no kind of drug treatment were eligible in this study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse respondents who reported injection of methamphetamine and those who did not.
Most of the respondents (87%) were male with an average age of 39 years. They had been injecting drugs for 20 years. Around one-third (32%) reported inject methamphetamine in the past month. Four factors were found to be significantly associated with methamphetamine injection which were sex (AOR = 0.16; 95% CI = 0.03–0.83), age (AOR = 7.88; 95% CI = 1.76–35.27), period of injecting drugs (AOR = 0.14; 95% CI = 0.03–0.62) and inject drugs in combination (AOR = 16.39; 95% CI = 1.94–137.87).
Our findings suggested that methamphetamine injectors in Bangkok, Thailand were older male and had longer period of injection. Methamphetamine injections were associated with injecting in combination with other drugs. Therefore, harm reduction interventions for methamphetamine injectors should be tailored to this specific group of population.
Methamphetamine, people who inject drugs, harm reduction
