Injecting and sharing behaviour

Injecting Status

Information on current and past injecting behaviour is reported to the Database. Details for 1997/98 are shown in Table 23 and the trend over the period 1992/93 to 1997/98 is shown in Table 24. A summary of the trends in injecting behaviour is presented in Chart 16 (all ages) and Chart 17 (by age group) below.

Injecting Status 1993/94 - 1997/98 In 1997/98, 38 per cent of individuals seen at services reported that they had injected in the previous month. This is a small increase over the previous two years (34 per cent in 1995/96 and 35 per cent in 1996/97). In 1993/94, 47 per cent reported that they had injected in the previous month. The percentage of individuals who reported that they had never injected drugs has shown a slight fall from 47 per cent in 1996/97 to 44 per cent in 1997/98, in contrast to the consistent upward trend of earlier years.

Injecting Status, by age group 1993/94 - 1997/98 Around one in three individuals aged under 20 years of age (34 per cent); 20­ 29 years (39 per cent) and over 30 years (39 per cent) reported that they had injected in the previous month. The most marked increase in the proportion reporting injecting in the previous month is apparent in the under 20s.

The Database also seeks to provide an indication of the agewhen the individual first started injecting drugs (Table 25). This information is based on the recollection of the patients/clients who in many cases may have been using and injecting drugs for several years; it is not possible to ascertain how accurate the individual responses might be.

Age first injected1997/98 Forty­three per cent of those who had injected in the previous month reported that they began injecting drugs in their mid to late teens. Three per cent said theywereunder15years of age when they began injecting.

Route of use for Heroin reports

As noted earlier, Heroin is frequently reported as the main drug being used. One of the features about misuse of this drug is the variety of routes of consumption of the drug. Table 26 presents details on the routes of consumption based on reports to the Database. Injecting and smoking the drug are the two routes most commonly reported and a summary by age group is presented in Chart 19 below.

Route of use of Heroin, by age group 1993/94 - 1997/98 Injecting is the main route of use recorded in the majority of reports where Heroin is mentioned. Reports from individuals aged under 20 yearsshow that the proportion reporting that they were injecting heroin has increased from 36 percent in 1996/97 to 46 per cent in 1997/98. The percentage who reported that they had injected the drug has been gradually falling in individuals aged 20 years and over, over the last four years. Smoking of the drug has been correspondingly increasing.

Sharing Status

The risks to health through the spread of major infectious disease where people share injecting equipment are well documented. The presentation of drug users at services provides an opportunity to gain an insight into current practices among a section of injecting drug users, andprovidessystematically collected information for monitoring trends. Agency staff are asked to report to the Database details on the patients/clients current and past sharing behaviour. It is believed that in some cases patients/clients may be reticent when asked to reveal that they share equipment and for this reason the percentage shown is likely to be an underestimate of the true picture. It should be noted that as part of a revision of the data collection forms introduced in April 1995 changes were made to the sharing questions in order to improve the veracity of the responses. It is thought that this change explains most or all of the rise between 1994/95 and 1995/96 in the proportions reporting sharing of injecting equipment in the previous month. Complete information was received in 1997/98 from 2569 of the 3163 patients/ clients who said they had injected in the previous month (Tables 27 and 28).

Sharing Status 1993/94 - 1997/98 In 1997/98, of the individuals who had injected in the previous month, 28 per cent reported that they had shared their injecting equipment in the previous month. This percentage is consistent with the past two years. The proportion of individuals reporting that they have never shared injecting equipment has continued to rise from44 per cent in 1996/97 to 46 per cent in 1997/ 98. In 1993/94 this proportion was 36 per cent.