[Patterns of heroin consumption in a jail on the northern Mexican border: barriers to treatment access].
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.
Cravioto
Patricia
P
Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Dr. Ramón de la Fuente, México, DF, México.
Medina-Mora
María Elena
ME
de la Rosa
Blanca
B
Galván
Fernando
F
Tapia-Conyer
Roberto
R
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