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Table 2 HCV-status, awareness, injection behaviour and access to addiction and medical care of new injectors by self-reported HCV-testing experience prior to study

From: High prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection and low level of awareness among people who recently started injecting drugs in a cross-sectional study in Germany, 2011–2014: missed opportunities for hepatitis C testing

 

Reported previous HCV-test (N = 153)

Reported no previous HCV-test (N= 56)

p

n

%i

n

%i

 

Sociodemographic characteristic

 Female

49

32.0

14

25.0

0.327

 Age 25 years

39

25.5

24

42.9

0.015*

 1st-generation migranta

45

29.4

12

21.4

0.251

 2nd-generation migrantb

13

8.5

6

10.7

0.621

 Mainly homeless, staying in sheltersc

31

20.4

17

30.4

0.130

 Ever in prison

94

61.8

36

64.3

0.747

 Released from prison in the last 12 monthsd

22

23.2

10

24.4

0.876

HCV status

 HCV-positive

64

41.8

16

28.6

0.081

 Detectable HCV-RNA

47

30.7

14

25.0

0.421

 Of HCV-positive: unaware of HCV-positive status

14

22.6

16

100.0

< 0.001***

Access to addiction therapy

 Drug addiction ever treated

128

83.7

32

57.1

< 0.001***

 Ever in detoxification

105

68.6

26

46.4

0.008**

 Ever in weaning/rehabilitation program

60

39.2

15

26.8

0.097

 Ever in outpatient substitution

101

66.0

15

26.8

< 0.001***

 Currently in outpatient substitution

52

34.0

10

17.9

0.024*

 Sought medical care within the last 12 months

127

83.0

44

78.6

0.462

If accessed medical care within 12 months: last access point

 Hospital

25

20.2

17

39.5

0.012*

 Practice without addiction services

37

29.8

16

37.2

0.371

 Practice with OST

44

35.5

6

14.0

0.008**

 Detention facilities (prison hospital)

11

8.9

1

2.3

0.152

 Low threshold drug services

4

3.2

1

2.3

0.765

 Rehabilitation

2

1.6

1

2.3

0.762

 Local public health office

1

0.8

1

2.3

0.430

Main source for sterile needles and syringes in the last 30 days

 Low threshold services

80

67

21

46

0.011*

 Bought in pharmacies

21

18

12

26

0.224

 Syringe vending machinee

16

25

8

36

0.325

 Visited low threshold drug services in the last 30 daysf

77

88

21

75

0.112

Drug injection behaviour in the last 30 daysg

 Injected drugs

126

82.4

47

83.9

0.789

 Daily injection

46

36.8

13

27.7

0.260

 Injection of heroin

93

60.8

26

46.4

0.063

 Injection of cocaine

55

36.0

13

23.1

0.082

 Injection of crack

8

5.3

2

3.6

0.613

 Injection of amphetamines

7

4.6

4

7.1

0.462

 Injection of methamphetaminesh

5

3.3

11

19.6

< 0.001

  1. aBorn in Germany, mother and/or father born abroad
  2. bBorn outside of Germany
  3. cDefined as reporting living on the streets or in homeless shelters as main residence in the last 12 months
  4. dNot asked in Berlin, Essen
  5. eSubstance consumed in the last 30 days and most common mode of consumption injection
  6. eExist in Berlin, Essen, Cologne, Munich
  7. fNot asked in Berlin, Essen, Leipzig
  8. gSubstance consumed in the last 30 days and most common mode of consumption injection
  9. hConsumption of methamphethamine was concentrated in Leipzig (East Germany) and to a lower extent in Munich (South Germany), while it played almost no role in other study cities
  10. iof responding participants
  11. *p < 0.05
  12. **p < 0.01
  13. ***p < 0.001