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Contextual Factors Associated with Rushed Injecting Among People Who Inject Drugs in Thailand

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Abstract

People who inject drugs (IDU) often rush their injections; however, the prevalence and predictors of rushing during injecting has not been well studied. We sought to identify correlates of rushed injecting among a community-recruited sample of IDU in Bangkok, Thailand. Data were derived from IDU who participated in the Mitsampan Community Research Project in Bangkok between July and October in 2011. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the prevalence and factors associated with frequent rushed injecting, defined as rushing injections at least 25 % of the time in the last 6 months. Among 437 participants, 27 % reported frequent rushed injecting. In multivariate analyses, factors positively and independently associated with frequent rushed injecting included: syringe sharing, injecting in public places, and having noticed increased police presence where drugs are bought or used. Many Thai IDU in this setting reported frequent rushed injecting and factors known to increase HIV risk were found to be associated with this behavior. These findings reinforce the need for public health interventions that address the broader social and physical risk environment where drug injecting takes place.

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Acknowledgments

We would particularly like to thank the staff and volunteers at the Mitsampan Harm Reduction Center, Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group and O-Zone House for their support and Dr. Niyada Kiatying-Angsulee of the Social Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, for her assistance with developing this project. We also thank Tricia Collingham, Deborah Graham, Caitlin Johnston, Calvin Lai and Peter Vann for their research and administrative assistance, and Prempreeda Pramoj Na Ayutthaya, Arphatsaporn Chaimongkon and Sattara Hattirat for their assistance with data collection. The study was supported by Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. Dr. Kanna Hayashi is supported by the University of British Columbia Doctoral Fellowship. This research was also undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Research Chairs program through a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Inner City Medicine which supports Dr. Evan Wood.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6Z 1Y6

    Lianping Ti, Kanna Hayashi, Evan Wood & Thomas Kerr

  2. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z3

    Lianping Ti

  3. Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group, 18/89 Vipawadee Road, Soi 40, Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand, 10900

    Karyn Kaplan & Paisan Suwannawong

  4. Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, St. Paul’s Hospital, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6Z 1Y6

    Evan Wood & Thomas Kerr

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  1. Lianping Ti
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  2. Kanna Hayashi
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  3. Karyn Kaplan
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  4. Paisan Suwannawong
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  5. Evan Wood
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  6. Thomas Kerr
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Correspondence to Thomas Kerr.

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Ti, L., Hayashi, K., Kaplan, K. et al. Contextual Factors Associated with Rushed Injecting Among People Who Inject Drugs in Thailand. Prev Sci 16, 313–320 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-014-0477-z

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