An Analysis of Social Determinants of Health and Their Implications for Hepatitis C Virus Treatment in People Who Inject Drugs: The Case of Baltimore.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sixty-eight percent of the nearly 3.5 million people living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the United States are people who inject drugs (PWID). Despite effective treatments, uptake remains low in PWID. We examined the social determinants of health (SDoH) that affect the HCV care cascade.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis of data from 720 PWID in a cluster-randomized trial. We recruited PWID from 12 drug-affected areas in Baltimore. Inclusion criteria were injection in the prior month or needle sharing in the past 6 months. Intake data consisted of a survey and HCV testing. Focusing on SDoH, we analyzed self-report of (1) awareness of HCV infection (in those with active or previously cured HCV) and (2) prior HCV treatment (in the aware subgroup). We used

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez Corro LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10986855 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature