RESUMO
This paper assesses mortality rate for a cohort of drug users in Puerto Rico compared with that of the Island's general population, examining causes of death and estimating relative risk of death. Date and cause of death were obtained from death certificates during 1998. Vital status was confirmed through contact with subjects, family, and friends. HIV/AIDS was the major cause of death (47.7%), followed by homicide (14.6%), and accidental poisoning (6.3%). Females had higher relative risk of death than males in all age categories. Not living with a sex partner and not receiving drug treatment were related to higher mortality due to HIV/AIDS. Drug injection was the only variable explaining relative risk of death due to overdose. Puerto Rico needs to continue developing programs to prevent HIV/AIDS among drug users. Special attention should be given to young women, who appear to be in greatest need of programs to prevent early mortality.
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Adulto , Hispânico ou Latino/estatística & dados numéricos , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias/mortalidade , Distribuição por Idade , Causas de Morte , Estudos de Coortes , Infecções por HIV/mortalidade , Porto Rico/etnologia , Análise de Regressão , Fatores de Risco , Distribuição por SexoRESUMO
We report the basic findings of a survey aimed at estimating rates of substance disorders in a probability sample of 4,709 household residents aged 15 to 64 years old. Lifetime use of alcohol was reported by 77.2, and 10.7 reported ever using illicit drugs. Overall, 14.7 of the sample met criteria for a lifetime substance disorder, and 4.9 for a past year disorder. The rates of lifetime disorders were 13.1 for alcohol and 4.1 for illicit drug. Past year abuse/dependence was 4.3 for alcohol and 1.3 for illicit drugs. Alcohol use disorders were associated with male gender, higher family annual income, being employed, and being married. Illicit drug use disorders were associated with male gender and younger age. Only 13.0 of respondents with a past year disorder reported using services for their disorder. A program of continuous monitoring of substance using disorders is critical to establishing and monitoring effective policies
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Adolescente , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Alcoolismo/epidemiologia , Drogas Ilícitas , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias/epidemiologia , Fatores Etários , Estudos Transversais , Coleta de Dados , Entrevistas como Assunto , Porto Rico/epidemiologia , Estudos de Amostragem , Fatores Sexuais , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
Needle sharing is one of the principal risk behaviors leading to HIV transmission among injection drug users (IDUs). Shooting galleries, a social context where IDUs rent, share, and borrow needles, are locations usually found near drug markets. This study, which interviewed 1,700 IDUs from May 1989 to June 1990, assesses sociodemographic characteristics and HIV risk behaviors among shooting gallery users in Puerto Rico. Multivariate analyses showed that shooting gallery use is associated with speedball (a concoction of heroin and cocaine) injection, income from illegal activities and previous drug treatment. Shooting gallery users were more likely to rent, share, and borrow needles, and less likely to always use bleach and water to clean needles. Strategies to reduce shooting gallery use among drug injectors are discussed