 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Crystal Fuller, MPH, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W. 168th Street, 4th floor, Room 422, New York, NY 10032, (212) 342-0534, cf317@columbia.edu
Objective: Pharmacy syringe sales without a prescription became legal in New York State on January 1, 2001 through the Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program (ESAP). Significantly lower rates of pharmacy use among black and Hispanic IDUs compared to whites have been recently observed. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are other salient social factors that may help explain the relationship between race/ethnicity and pharmacy use. Design/Methods: Data were combined from two on-going injection drug user (IDU) studies in two New York City neighborhoods. Social and behavioral factors independently associated with ever purchasing a nonprescription syringe in the past 6 months were cross-sectionally examined using logistic regression. Results: Of 337 adult IDUs, the majority was male (79%), Hispanic (73%) and mean age of 35 years. Bivariately, IDUs who reported pharmacy use were less likely to be black or Hispanic, older aged, and report recent SEP attendance compared to non-pharmacy users. Additionally, pharmacy users were more likely to have prior knowledge of ESAP, and report discrimination due to police in the past year compared to non-users. After adjustment, social and behavioral factors independently associated with pharmacy use were: recent SEP attendance [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR)=0.27; ESAP knowledge (AOR=13.11); discrimination due to police (AOR=3.56); discrimination due to race (AOR=0.25). Conclusions: These findings indicate that racial/ethnic differences may not be important determinants of ESAP when more salient social circumstances such as past discrimination are considered. Educational efforts should be enhanced to reach those who continue to perceive barriers to ESAP.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Injection Drug Users, Ethnicity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.