title: Prevalence and correlates of jugular injections among injection drug users.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Jugular injection of drugs has been reported, although little is known about the prevalence of and risk factors associated with this behaviour. We evaluated factors associated with jugular injection among a cohort of injection drug users (IDU) in Vancouver, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used univariate statistics and logistic regression to examine factors associated with jugular injection among participants in the Vancouver Injecting Drug Users Study (VIDUS), a large prospective cohort study of IDU recruited through snowball sampling methods in Vancouver, Canada.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between December 2004 and November 2005, 780 IDU were followed up as part of VIDUS and 198 (25%) reported jugular injection in the previous 6 months. In multivariate analyses, factors associated independently with jugular injection included: being of the female gender [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14-2.59; p = 0.010], daily heroin use (aOR = 2.89, 95% CI: 1.93-4.34; p < 0.001), daily cocaine use (aOR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.12-2.76; p = 0.014], requiring help injecting (aOR = 4.44, 95% CI: 2.64-7.46; p < 0.001), and involvement in the sex-trade (aOR = 2.71, 95% CI: 1.6-4.55; p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reporting a history of jugular injecting was alarmingly high in the cohort and was associated with several identifiable demographic and drug-using characteristics. Given previous reports demonstrating the risk of infection and vascular trauma due to this behaviour, these populations should be considered seriously as a target for safer injecting education.
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Zia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hoda
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Julio S G
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Montaner
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007601:Jugular Veins; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D011477:Sex Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs