Injecting and sharing behaviour
Injecting status
Information on current and past injecting behaviour is reported to the Database.
Details for 1998/99 are shown in Table 23
(and 45) and the trend over
the period 1992/93 to 1998/99 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 1994/95 - 1998/99 r
- In 1998/99, 42 per cent of individuals seen at services
reported that they had injected in the previous month. This continues
the increase of the previous three years (33 per cent, 35 per cent and
38 per cent). In 1994/95, 40 per cent reported that they had injected
in the previous month.
- The percentage of individuals who reported that they
had never injected drugs continues to decline from 44 per cent in 1997/98
to 40 per cent in 1998/99, in contrast to the consistent upward trend
of earlier years.
r Data for years 95/96-97/98 are revised.
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 Injecting
status, by age group 1994/95 - 1998/99 r
- There are only small variations across the age bands
in the percentage stating that they injected in 1998/99.
- About 40 per cent of individuals aged under 20 years
of age, 44 per cent of 20-29 year olds and 40 per cent of those aged
30 years and over reported that they had injected in the previous month.
- The most marked increase in the proportion of reports
where the individuals injected in the previous month was apparent in
the under 20s age band.
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The Database also seeks to provide an indication of the age when the individual
first started injecting drugs (Tables 25
and 46). 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 injected 1998/99
- Forty-four per cent of those who had injected in the
previous month reported that they began injecting drugs in their mid
to late teens.
- Two per cent said they were under 15 years of age when
they began injecting.
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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 1994/95 - 1998/99 r
- Injecting is the main route of use recorded in the majority
of reports where heroin is mentioned.
- Reports from individuals aged under 20 years show that
the proportion reporting that they were injecting heroin has increased
from 46 per cent in 1997/ 98 to 50 per cent in 1998/99.
- The percentage who reported that they had injected the
drug had been gradually falling in individuals aged 20 years and over,
over the last four years. However, this downward trend has not continued
in 1998/99, where both the 20-29 and 30 and over age groups show a slight
rise in the proportion injecting heroin, and a corresponding fall in
smoking.
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Sharing status
The risks to health through the spread of major infectious disease where people
share injecting equipment are well documented (see Chapter
8). The presentation of drug users at services provides an opportunity to
gain an insight into current practices among a section of injecting drug users,
and provides systematically collected information for monitoring trends. Agency
staff are asked to report to the Database details on the patient’s/client’s
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 1998/99 from 3135 of the 3863 patients/ clients who said they had
injected in the previous month (Tables
27, 28 and 47).
 Sharing
status 1994/95 - 1998/99 r
- In1998/99,oftheindividualswho had injected in the previous
month, 32 per cent reported that they had shared their injecting equipment
in the previous month, a slight increase from previous years.
- The proportion of individuals reporting that they have
never shared injecting equipment has fallen from 46 per cent in 1997/
98 to 40 per cent in 1998/99.
r Data for years 95/96-97/98 are revised.
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