Inadequate needle and syringe coverage among people who inject psychoactive drugs across England and Wales
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21605216 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lucinda Slater (0000-0001-6514-2198, UK Health Security Agency, corresponding author), Claire Edmundson (0000-0002-2335-4878, UK Health Security Agency), Eva Emanuel (0000-0002-5607-459X, UK Health Security Agency), Jacquelyn Njoroge (0000-0002-4972-4582, UK Health Security Agency), Vivian Hope (0000-0001-5712-5734, UK Health Security Agency), Emily Phipps (0000-0002-1654-6265, UK Health Security Agency), Monica Desai (0000-0001-8632-9808, UK Health Security Agency), Sara Croxford (0000-0003-2220-623X, UK Health Security Agency) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 358-368 |
| Publication date | 2024-05-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Drugs Education Prevention and Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0968-7637 • E-ISSN: 1465-3370 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09687637.2023.2191811 |
| OpenAlex | W4366281713 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 32 |
Aim Needle and syringe (NS) provision is a proven intervention for reducing harms associated with injecting drug use, such as infections, but impact is coverage-dependent. We characterised people who injected drugs (PWID) in England and Wales who had insufficient NS in the past month to meet their injecting requirements.Methods This study utilised 2017–2019 data from the annual Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring (UAM) Survey of PWID recruited through specialist services. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with inadequate NS coverage.Findings Of 2,442 PWID surveyed who had injected in the past month, 34% reported inadequate NS coverage (or as high as 51% if including unsuccessful injections). Younger PWID (adjusted odds ratio: 2.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.35–3.52), those who began injecting in the past three years (1.46, 1.09–2.00), and those who reported sharing injecting equipment (1.46, 1.22–1.75) had greater odds of having inadequate NS coverage. PWID currently prescribed Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) had lower odds of inadequate NS coverage (0.60, 0.49–0.73).Conclusion Given the poor reported coverage of NS provision in England and Wales, there is urgent need to address inequity in accessing sufficient NS and increase coverage among this vulnerable group to reduce injecting-related harms
Confidence interval · Drug · Environmental health · Family medicine · Harm reduction · Heroin · Logistic regression · Odds · Odds ratio · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Syringe · Demography · Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Medicine · Opioid Use Disorder Treatment · Internal Medicine
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| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |