Gender difference in early initiation of methamphetamine use among current methamphetamine users in Muse, Northern Shan State, Myanmar

Table 1 Socio-demographic characteristics of participants (N = 1,362)

Characteristics	Total (N = 1,362)		Male (n = 775)		Female (n = 587)		P value
Characteristics	n	%	n	%	n	%
Age^a (year)
≤20	336	24.7	165	21.3	171	29.1	<0.001
21–25	739	54.3	421	54.3	318	54.2
26–30	223	16.3	145	18.7	78	13.3
>30	64	4.7	44	5.7	20	3.4
Marital status
Never married	936	68.7	553	71.4	383	65.2	0.016
Ever married	426	31.3	222	28.6	204	34.8	0.016
Education
Primary school	132	9.8	54	7.0	80	13.6	<0.001
Secondary school	607	44.6	304	39.2	303	51.6
High school	319	23.4	210	27.1	109	18.6
University	302	22.2	207	26.7	95	16.2
Ethnicity
Shan	461	30.6	213	27.5	203	34.6	<0.001
Kachin	274	20.1	158	20.4	116	19.8
Burma	409	30.0	218	28.1	191	32.5
Others^*	263	19.3	186	24.0	77	13.1
Employment status
Unemployed	379	27.8	188	24.3	191	32.5	0.001
Employed	983	72.2	587	75.7	396	67.5	0.001

^aMean age 23.4 years (standard deviation, SD 3.46) for males and 22.7 years (SD 3.38) for females; *(Kyar, Kayin, Chin, Mon, Rakhin, Multi-ethnic, Indians, and the Chinese);

ISSN: 1477-7517