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Table 1 Baseline socio-demographic, risk and health service utilisation factors associated with mortality among PWID in Melbourne (n = 665)

From: Mortality in the Melbourne injecting drug user cohort study (MIX)

Characteristics

Baseline n (%)

Deaths N (%)

Hazard ratio (95 % CI)

P value

Gender

 Male

446 (67.1)

18 (4.0)

1.45 (0.58–3.66)

0.427

 Female

219 (32.9)

6 (2.7)

1

 

Employed

 Yes

91 (13.7)

2 (2.2)

0.57 (0.13–2.41)

0.444

 No

574 (86.3)

22 (3.8)

1

 

Stable accommodation

 Yes

539 (81.0)

22 (4.1)

2.53 (0.59–10.77)

0.209

 No

126 (18.9)

2 (1.6)

1

 

Current OST

 Yes

236 (35.5)

8 (3.4)

0.92 (0.39–2.16)

0.854

 No

429 (64.5)

16 (3.7)

1

 

Attended emergency department in the past month

 Yes

88 (13.2)

6 (12.0)

3.44 (1.47–8.03)*

0.004

 No

577 (86.8)

18 (2.9)

1

 

Attended PWID specific primary care services in the past month

 Yes

116 (17.4)

22 (4.0)

0.43 (0.10–1.82)

0.249

 No

549 (82.6)

2 (1.7)

1

 

Attended GP services in the past month

 Yes

387 (58.2)

16 (4.1)

1.44 (0.61–3.36)

0.403

 No

278 (41.8)

8 (2.9)

1

 

Attended ambulance services in the past month

 Yes

50 (7.5)

6 (12.0)

4.43 (1.76–11.17)*

0.002

 No

615 (92.5)

18 (2.9)

1

 

Past week heroin injecting frequency

 None

10 (25.6)

6 (3.5)

1

 

 Less than daily

297 (44.7)

12 (4.0)

1.14 (0.43–3.04)

0.794

 Daily or more

198 (29.8)

6 (3.0)

0.84 (0.27–2.60)

0.760

AUDIT Alcohol Consumption Questions score

 Abstinent

239 (35.9)

9 (3.8)

1

 

 1–7

264 (39.7)

7 (2.6)

0.69 (0.26–1.87)

0.472

 8 +

162 (24.4)

8 (4.9)

1.35 (0.52–3.50)

0.537

Arrested in the past 12 months

 Yes

359 (54.0)

17 (4.7)

2.11 (0.88–5.09)

0.096

 No

306 (46.0)

7 (2.3)

1

 

Frequency of past incarceration

 None

271 (40.7)

7 (2.6)

1

 

 3 or less

339 (51.0)

12 (3.5)

1.39 (0.55–3.52)

0.491

 4 or more

55 (8.3)

5 (9.1)

3.65 (1.16–11.52)*

0.027

Duration of injecting career (years)

 Less than 3

77 (11.6)

4 (5.2)

1

 

 3–9

243 (36.5)

8 (3.3)

0.63 (0.19–2.09)

0.450

 Greater than 10

345 (51.9)

12 (3.5)

0.67 (0.22–2.08)

0.491

Overdose in the past 6 months

 Yes

10 (1.5)

6 (9.2)

3.14 (1.24–7.96)*

0.016

 No

655 (98.5)

18 (3.0)

1

 

SF8 physical health score in the past month

 High (>56)

161 (24.1)

4 (2.5)

1

 

 Average (45–56)

330 (49.6)

10 (3.0)

1.23 (0.39–3.93)

0.725

 Low (<45)

174 (26.2)

10 (5.7)

2.39 (0.75–7.63)

0.140

SF8 mental health score in the past month

 High (>53)

181 (27.2)

8 (4.4)

1

 

 Average (31–53)

327 (49.2)

9 (2.7)

0.63 (0.24–1.64)

0.344

 Low (<31)

157 (23.6)

7 (4.5)

1.03 (0.37–2.85)

0.949

  1. *p < 0.05
  2. p < 0.1