Assessing Syringe Needs Among Drug Users in NYC
Author Information
Author(s): Daliah I Heller, Denise Paone, Anne Siegler, Adam Karpati
Primary Institution: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Hypothesis
Are syringe exchange programs providing enough sterile syringes to meet the needs of injecting drug users in New York City?
Conclusion
Many syringe exchange program participants in NYC do not receive enough syringes to meet their injecting needs, particularly younger and homeless individuals.
Supporting Evidence
- 54% of participants reported receiving fewer syringes than their number of injections per month.
- Respondents reported injecting a median of 60 times per month.
- Half of respondents received enough syringes to cover, at most, only 80% of their monthly injections.
Takeaway
This study found that many people who use syringes for drugs in New York City don't get enough clean syringes from programs that are supposed to help them, which can lead to sharing and unsafe practices.
Methodology
A survey was conducted among 478 injecting drug users at syringe exchange programs in NYC to assess their syringe needs and acquisition.
Potential Biases
The sample may not represent all injecting drug users in NYC due to non-randomized recruitment.
Limitations
Participants were not asked about other sources of syringes, which may have affected the findings.
Participant Demographics
The median age was 43 years, predominantly male (74%), and 50% were homeless.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
1.5, 6.2
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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