title: Association between Pregnancy and Active Injection Drug Use and Sex Work among Women Injection Drug Users in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
abstract: Widespread use of unsafe sexual practices among women injecting drugs both practicing and not practicing sex work leads to high levels of unplanned pregnancies in this population. The goal of this study was to investigate the association between pregnancy and active drug use and sex work. Data were collected using a convenience sample of 500 women in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2013. All women had recent experience of drug use, of which 200 were pregnant at the time of the study. The study consisted of a structured interview followed by a rapid HIV test. Pregnancy was protective against both active drug use and sex work. For HIV-positive women, these associations were stronger than for HIV-negative women: drug use prevalence ratio (PR) was 0.59 vs 0.85; for sex work, the PRs were 0.36 vs 0.64. Higher levels of education were associated with a lower prevalence ratio for active drug use and sex work in all models. Having children was not associated with active drug use or sex work. Pregnancy might be an optimal time for conducting interventions aimed at cessation of drug use and sex work among women injecting drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York, Rensselaer, NY, USA, polina_girchenko@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girchenko
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Ompad
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bikmukhametov
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gensburg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012426:Russia; D060386:Sex Workers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2009 Aug;38(8):714-9
references.pmid: 19736577
references.citation: Addict Behav. 2012 Aug;37(8):956-61
references.pmid: 22575401
references.citation: BMC Infect Dis. 2011;11:292
references.pmid: 22032196
references.citation: AIDS Care. 2015;27(1):1-5
references.pmid: 25117749
references.citation: Int J STD AIDS. 2004 May;15(5):343-7
references.pmid: 15117506
references.citation: AIDS Care. 2012;24(5):665-72
references.pmid: 22292804
references.citation: Eur J Public Health. 2011 Oct;21(5):613-9
references.pmid: 20798184
references.citation: AIDS. 2006 Nov 14;20(17):2207-15
references.pmid: 17086061
references.citation: Adv Prev Med. 2012;2012:316871
references.pmid: 23304535
references.citation: Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2012;7:1
references.pmid: 22233728
references.citation: J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care. 2013 Jul;39(3):179-85
references.pmid: 23377534
references.citation: Adv Prev Med. 2012;2012:269123
references.pmid: 23198158
references.citation: J Int AIDS Soc. 2012;15(2):17372
references.pmid: 23031336
references.citation: J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care. 2011 Jul;37(3):158-64
references.pmid: 21493618
references.citation: BMC Public Health. 2013;13:183
references.pmid: 23452390
references.citation: Adv Prev Med. 2012;2012:874615
references.pmid: 23243518
references.citation: Rev Saude Publica. 2008 Dec;42(6):992-8
references.pmid: 19009156
references.citation: Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2013 Jan;120(1):27-31
references.pmid: 23083495
references.citation: J Urban Health. 2009 Jul;86 Suppl 1:121-30
references.pmid: 19533368
references.citation: Sex Transm Infect. 2006 Jun;82 Suppl 3:iii10-17
references.pmid: 16735287
references.citation: Drug Alcohol Depend. 2012 Jul 1;124(1-2):95-107
references.pmid: 22257753
references.citation: Drugs (Abingdon Engl). 2014 Dec;21(6):470-475
references.pmid: 25552821
references.citation: Lancet. 2008 Nov 15;372(9651):1733-45
references.pmid: 18817968
references.citation: Qual Health Res. 2013 Aug;23(8):1079-88
references.pmid: 23774627
references.citation: NIDA Res Monogr. 1985;59:96-106
references.pmid: 3929137
references.citation: Reprod Health Matters. 2009 May;17(33):162-70
references.pmid: 19523593
references.citation: Reprod Health. 2011;8:28
references.pmid: 21992690