title: Effect of Methadone Dose on Maintenance Treatment and Health Consequences Among Heroin Addicts in South China.
abstract: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 197 adults receiving methadone maintenance treatment in Kunming city, South China, in 2010. The aim of the study was to determine the association of methadone maintenance dose on a variety of treatment outcomes. Treatment modalities, the adverse reactions to methadone treatment, the physical and mental outcomes of the treatment, and risk behavior changes were assessed. Multilevel negative and logistic binomial regression analyses were carried out, which demonstrated that methadone maintenance dose in this sample was not associated with improved treatment adherence or with quality of life. We concluded that dose had a small, if negligible, influence on the changes in adverse effects of methadone. Further research in dose differences between the genders should be conducted.
authors.affiliation: a 1Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Frankston , Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: b 2College of Nursing -Newark & New Brunswick Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , Newark, USA.
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Holzemer
authors.affiliation: c 3San Francisco General Hospital, School of Medicine, Box: 0874 Bldg: SFGH Bldg 80 Room: W84 , San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: Jacqueline P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Tulsky
authors.affiliation: d 4UCSF, Box: 0886 Bldg: 50 Beale Street Room: 1300 , San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: Mallory O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: e 5UCSF, School of Nursing , San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dawson Rose
keywords: China; maintenance dose; methadone; treatment outcomes