Addiction
Volume 99, Issue 11, 2004, Pages 1430-1438

The prevalence of injecting drug use in a Russian city: Implications for harm reduction and coverage (Article)

Platt L.* , Hickman M. , Rhodes T. , Mikhailova L. , Karavashkin V. , Vlasov A. , Tilling K. , Hope V. , Khutorksoy M. , Renton A.
  • a Dept. of Prim. Care and Social Med., Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, University of London, London, United Kingdom, Dept. of Prim. Care and Social Med., Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, University of London, St Dunstan's Road, London W6 8RP, United Kingdom
  • b Dept. of Prim. Care and Social Med., Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, University of London, London, United Kingdom
  • c Dept. of Prim. Care and Social Med., Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, University of London, London, United Kingdom
  • d City Narcological Services, Togliatti City, Samara Oblast, Russian Federation, NGO Parents Against Drugs, Togliatti City, Samara Oblast, Russian Federation
  • e City AIDS Centre, Togliatti, Samara Oblast, Russian Federation
  • f Togliatti City Comm. for Drug Contr., Togliatti, Samara Oblast, Russian Federation
  • g Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Togliatti, Samara Oblast, United Kingdom
  • h Dept. of Prim. Care and Social Med., Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, University of London, London, United Kingdom
  • i Togliatti City Admin./Dept. of Hlth., Togliatti, Samara Oblast, Russian Federation
  • j Dept. of Prim. Care and Social Med., Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, University of London, London, United Kingdom

Abstract

Aim: This study sought to estimate the prevalence of injecting drug users (IDU) in Togliatti city and to examine the implications of these estimates for HIV prevalence and harm reduction. Design: Routine data sources of IDUs were identified. Covariate capture-recapture techniques were used on the individuals identified on the three data sources and used to estimate the number of IDU 'not observed' by the data sources, and thereby estimate the prevalence of IDU. Setting: Togliatti City, Samara Oblast, Russian Federation. Participants: IDUs recorded on three data sources (narcology records, HIV positive test results and police arrest data) during 2001. Measurements: Poisson regression models were fitted to the observed data, with interactions between data sources fitted to replicate 'dependencies' between those data sources. To select the best model the goodness of fit was approximated by χ2 distribution and the best-fitting model was selected on the basis of standard information criteria and log likelihood ratio tests. Findings: The total estimated population of IDUs is 20 226 [95% confidence interval (CI): 16 971-24 749] giving a population prevalence of 5.4% (95% CI: 4.5-6.6%) of the registered population and 2.7% (95% CI: 2.4-3.5%) of the population (including migrants) aged 15-44 years. For every one IDU in contact with a service there were three out of contact. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of IDU which, in the context of a fast-emerging IDU-associated HIV epidemic, will have serious public health implications.

Author Keywords

Coverage Injecting drug use Covariate capture-recapture Russian Federation HIV

Index Keywords

Human immunodeficiency virus infection register human harm reduction Adolescent chi square distribution male female police curve fitting medical record covariate capture recapture technique injecting drug use prevalence Article city major clinical study adult analytic method Poisson distribution statistical model intravenous drug abuse Russian Federation public health health care delivery
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-8544262937&doi=10.1111%2fj.1360-0443.2004.00848.x&partnerID=40&md5=185a88b5f427bb0a5376339ae27d94fe
DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2004.00848.x
ISSN: 09652140
Cited by: 30
Original Language: English