Community-based participatory research in a heavily researched inner city neighbourhood: Perspectives of people who use drugs on their experiences as peer researchers.

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has become an increasingly common approach to research involving people who use(d) drugs (PWUD), who are often employed as peer researchers on these projects. This paper seeks to understand the impact of CBPR on PWUD, particularly those living in heavily researched and stigmatized neighbourhoods where CBPR projects are often located. This study draws on 14 in-depth interviews with PWUD who had previous experience as both peer researchers and research participants in CBPR projects conducted between July 2010 and February 2011. The study employed a CBPR approach in its study design, recruitment, interviewing, and analysis. Our analysis indicates that participants were supportive of CBPR in principle and described the ways in which it helped contest stigmatizing assumptions and researcher bias. Participants also reported positive personal gains from participation in CBPR projects. However, many participants had negative experiences with CBPR projects, especially when CBPR principles were implemented in a superficial or incomplete manner. Participants emphasized the importance of inclusiveness and active deconstruction of hierarchy between researchers and community members to successful CBPR among drug using populations. CBPR has been widely adopted as a research approach within marginalized communities but has often been implemented inconsistently. Still, CBPR can empower communities to contest forms of social stigma that are often reproduced through academic research on marginalized communities. Our findings describe how the benefits of CBPR are maximized when CBPR principles are consistently applied and when community-based researchers are supported in ways that reduce power hierarchies. This suggests a need for capacity building within affected communities to develop independent support, training, and grievance processes for peer researchers.

Denial of prescription analgesia among people who inject drugs in a Canadian setting.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Despite the high prevalence of pain among people who inject drugs (PWIDs), clinicians may be reluctant to prescribe opioid-based analgesia to those with a history of drug use or addiction. We sought to examine the prevalence and correlates of PWIDs reporting being denied of prescription analgesia (PA). We also explored reported reasons for and actions taken after being denied PA. DESIGN AND METHODS: Using data from two prospective cohort studies of PWIDs, multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the prevalence and correlates of reporting being denied PA. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise reasons for denials and subsequent actions. RESULTS: Approximately two-thirds (66.5%) of our sample of 462 active PWIDs reported having ever been denied PA. We found that reporting being denied PA was significantly and positively associated with having ever been enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment (adjusted odds ratio 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.11-2.80) and daily cocaine injection (adjusted odds ratio 2.38, 95% confidence interval 1.00-5.66). The most commonly reported reason for being denied PA was being accused of drug seeking (44.0%). Commonly reported actions taken after being denied PA included buying the requested medication off the street (40.1%) or obtaining heroin to treat pain (32.9%). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the challenges of addressing perceived pain and the need for strategies to prevent high-risk methods of self-managing pain, such as obtaining diverted medications or illicit substances for pain. Such strategies may include integrated pain management guidelines within methadone maintenance treatment and other substance use treatment programs.

Willingness to engage in peer-delivered HIV voluntary counselling and testing among people who inject drugs in a Canadian setting.

BACKGROUND: People who inject drugs (IDU) face unique systemic, social and individual barriers to conventional HIV voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) programmes. Peer-delivered approaches represent a possible alternative to improve rates of testing among this population. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from a prospective cohort of IDU in Vancouver, Canada, were collected between December 2011 and May 2012. Bivariate statistics and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify the prevalence of and factors associated with willingness to receive peer-delivered VCT. RESULTS: Of 600 individuals, 51.5% indicated willingness to receive peer-delivered pretest counselling, 40.7% to receive peer-delivered rapid HIV testing and 42.8% to receive peer-delivered post-test counselling. Multivariate analyses found significant positive associations between willingness for pretest counselling and having used Vancouver's supervised injection facility, Insite, or being a member of VANDU (a local drug user organisation) (all p<0.05). Daily crack smoking and having used Insite were positively associated with willingness to receive peer-delivered HIV testing (p<0.05). Willingness to receive peer-delivered post-test counselling was positively associated with male gender, daily crack smoking, having used Insite and being a member of VANDU (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: While not universally acceptable, peer-delivered VCT approaches may improve access to HIV testing among IDU.

Self-management of pain among people who inject drugs in Vancouver.

AIMS: To evaluate factors and methods associated with self-management of pain among people who inject drugs (IDUs) in Vancouver (Canada). PATIENTS & METHODS: This cross-sectional study used bivariate statistics and multivariate logistic regression to analyze self-reported responses among 483 IDUs reporting moderate-to-extreme pain in two prospective cohort studies from 1 December 2012 to 31 May 2013. RESULTS: Median age was 49.6 years (interquartile range: 43.9-54.6 years), 33.1% of IDUs were female and 97.5% reported self-management of pain. Variables independently and positively associated with self-managed pain included having been refused a prescription for pain medication (adjusted odds ratio: 7.83; 95% CI: 1.64-37.3) and having ever been homeless (adjusted odds ratio: 3.70; 95% CI: 1.00-13.7). Common methods of self-management of pain included injecting heroin (52.7%) and obtaining diverted prescription pain medication from the street (65.0%). CONCLUSION: Self-management of pain was common among IDUs who reported moderate-to-extreme pain in this setting, particularly among those who had been refused a prescription for pain medication and those who had ever been homeless. These data highlight the challenges of adequate pain management among IDUs.

'On the same level': facilitators' experiences running a drug user-led safer injecting education campaign.

BACKGROUND: Unsafe injection practices play a major role in elevated rates of morbidity and mortality among people who inject drugs (IDU). There is growing interest in the direct involvement of IDU in interventions that seek to address unsafe injecting. This study describes a drug user-led safer injecting education campaign, and explores facilitators' experiences delivering educational workshops. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 8 members of the Injection Support (IS) Team who developed and facilitated a series of safer injecting education workshops. Interviews explored facilitator's perceptions of the workshops, experiences being a facilitator, and perspectives on the educational campaign. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS: IS Team facilitators described how the workshop's structure and content enabled effective communication of information about safer injecting practices, while targeting the unsafe practices of workshop participants. Facilitators' identity as IDU enhanced their ability to relate to workshop participants and communicate educational messages in language accessible to workshop participants. Facilitators reported gaining knowledge and skills from their involvement in the campaign, as well as positive feelings about themselves from the realization that they were helping people to protect their health. Overall, facilitators felt that this campaign provided IDU with valuable information, although facilitators also critiqued the campaign and suggested improvements for future efforts. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the feasibility of involving IDU in educational initiatives targeting unsafe injecting. Findings illustrate how IDU involvement in prevention activities improves relevance and cultural appropriateness of interventions while providing individual, social, and professional benefits to those IDU delivering education.

Offer of financial incentives for unprotected sex in the context of sex work.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Commercial sex workers (CSW) are often portrayed as vectors of disease transmission. However, the role clients play in sexual risk taking and related decision making has not been thoroughly characterised. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were drawn from the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study, a longitudinal cohort. Analyses were restricted to those who reported selling sex between June 2001 and December 2005. Using multivariate generalised estimating equation, we evaluated the prevalence of and factors associated with being offered money for sex without a condom. RESULTS: A total of 232 CSW were included in the analyses, with 73.7% reporting being offered more money for condom non-use, and 30.6% of these CSW accepting. Variables independently associated with being offered money for sex without a condom included daily speedball use [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.23-0.62], daily crack smoking (AOR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.04-2.19), daily heroin injection (AOR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.27-2.43) and drug use with clients (AOR = 3.22, 95% CI: 2.37-4.37). Human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity was not significant (AOR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.67-1.44). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the role clients play in contributing to unprotected sex through economic influence and exploitation of CSW drug use. HIV serostatus has no bearing on whether more money is offered for sex without a condom. Novel interventions should target both CSW and clients.

Barriers and facilitators to methadone maintenance therapy use among illicit opiate injection drug users in Vancouver.

Methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) has been increasingly implemented as the treatment of choice for opiate-addicted individuals and has been associated with reduced harm related to opiate addiction. Barriers to MMT uptake still exist, however, and many opiate-addicted individuals do not access this form of treatment. We examined barriers to and facilitators of MMT access among opiate users enrolled in a prospective cohort study of injection drug users (IDUs). We identified individuals who had initiated MMT during follow-up interviews and used generalized estimating equations to identify sociodemographic and drug-related variables associated with MMT access. Of the 1,587 participants recruited into the Vancouver Injection Drug User Study, 1,463 individuals were eligible for the present analysis. Factors negatively associated with MMT use included male gender (odds ratio [OR] = 0.41; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.32 to 0.52), Aboriginal ethnicity (OR = 0.37; 95 percent CI, 0.29 to 0.48), recent incarceration (OR = 0.82; 95 percent CI, 0.72 to 0.93), Downtown Eastside residence (OR = 0.86; 95 percent CI, 0.75 to 0.97), sex-trade involvement (OR = 0.80; 95 percent CI, 0.67 to 0.95), syringe lending (OR = 0.76; 95 percent CI, 0.66 to 0.89), denied addiction treatment (OR = 0.81; 95 percent CI, 0.68 to 0.96), heroin injection (OR = 0.51; 95 percent CI, 0.44 to 0.59), nonfatal overdose (OR = 0.59; 95 percent CI, 0.51 to 0.68), and infecting in public (OR = 0.75; 95 percent CI, 0.63 to 0.89). Older age (OR = 1.03; 95 percent CI, 1.01 to 1.04), human immunodeficiency virus (HJV) positivity (OR = 1.89; 95 percent CI, 1.52 to 2.2.3), and crack cocaine smoking (OR = 1.41; 95 percent CI, 1.22 to 1.62) were positively associated with MMT use. Our study identified a large number of barriers to and facilitators of MMT use among IDUs. While some populations such as HIV-positive individuals are frequently accessing MMT, identified barriers among men and Aboriginal lDUs are of great concern. These findings indicate the need for additional interventions aimed at maximizing coverage of MMT and other treatments for opiate-addicted individuals.