title: [Patterns of heroin consumption in a jail on the northern Mexican border: barriers to treatment access].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence of heroin use, patterns of initiation, intense use, and drug-dependency; also, to assess barriers to drug treatment access.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in the Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua prison. Subjects were selected using simple random sampling from census of prison inmates. Barriers to drug treatment were identified and analyzed using a logistic regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of heroin use for the last six months was 26.4%; 25.3% were intense heroin users; and 95% showed dependence. The mean age of initiation was 21 years. A multivariate model showed that the significant barriers to drug treatment access were: low education, withdrawal, overdosing, presence of chronic diseases, and duration of heroin use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study findings should serve to devise potential applications to establish treatment programs in prisons.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Dr. Ramón de la Fuente, México, DF, México.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cravioto
authors.forename: María Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Medina-Mora
authors.forename: Blanca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: de la Rosa
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galván
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tapia-Conyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D011329:Prisoners; D012307:Risk Factors; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology