title: Correlates of risky injection practices among past-year injection drug users among the US general population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With an estimated 1 million active injection drug users (IDUs), injection drug use continues to be a public health concern in the United States. Risky injection practices have been associated with the transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B and C, as well as other skin and soft tissue infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from 463 respondents, aged 18 and older, who were past-year IDUs in the 2005-2008 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). We investigated correlates of risky injection behavior among these recent IDUs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Older age (≥ 35 versus 18-25) was associated with reusing one's own needle at last injection (aOR=1.80 [1.02-3.17], as were past year heroin (aOR=2.59 [1.18-5.66]) and cocaine injection (aOR=2.17 [1.13-4.15]). Past year crack cocaine use was positively associated with not cleaning needles with bleach (aOR=2.18 [1.10-4.33]). Past year cocaine injection was associated with obtaining needles in a risky manner (aOR=2.29 [1.23-4.25]). Methamphetamine injection was associated with obtaining needles in less risky ways (aOR=0.41 [0.20-0.84]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that some IDUs are continuing to engage in high risk injection behaviors. The identification of potential at-risk populations of IDUs may have implications for harm reduction interventions and HIV prevention programs.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Mental Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. lropelew@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Lauren R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Ropelewski
authors.forename: Brent E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Mancha
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hulbert
authors.forename: Abby E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Rudolph
authors.forename: Silvia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000378:metabolism; D016578:Crack Cocaine / Q000378:metabolism; D016208:Databases, Factual; D055030:Drug Users; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016485:Needle Sharing / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009339:Needles; D012309:Risk-Taking; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D016578:Crack Cocaine