A Comparison of Substance Use Patterns Among Lifetime Heroin-Injecting Individuals By Racial Groups.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Studies have identified differential substance use patterns by racial groups. One of the most commonly reported differences is a higher rate of injection drug use (IDU) among Non-Hispanic Whites compared to African Americans, but this is complicated by factors related to IDU (e.g., earlier drug-use initiation) that overlap with being White.

Objective

We explored differential substance use-patterns by racial groups within a sample of injection heroin users.

Methods

Substance-use data were collected from 373 not-in-treatment heroin users who endorsed any lifetime injection use (69.4% male). We examined differences in substance-use patterns (e.g., age of initiation, gateway adherence) by racial groups. Multiple t-tests with Bonferroni correction were conducted

SUBMITTER: Moses TEH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7454016 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature