Self-reported impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among people who use drugs: a rapid assessment study in Montreal, Canada

Table 1 Participant characteristics (N = 227)

	n (%)
Age, median [Q1–Q3]	46 [39–56]
Gender
Male	174 (76.7)
Female	49 (21.6)
Other	4 (1.8)
Ethnicity^a
White/Caucasian	182 (80.9)
Indigenous	12 (5.3)
Other	31 (13.8)
Recent unstable housing^b	83 (36.6)
Survival^c income source(s) in the 3 months prior to pandemic	40 (17.6)
Diagnosed with ≥ 1 chronic physical condition^d	133 (58.8)
Living with a mental disorder, or a serious mental health problem	94 (41.4)
Opioid agonist treatment, current	69 (30.4)
Alcohol use, past 6 months	159 (70.0)
Illicit drug use, past 6 months	188 (82.8)
Most frequently used drug, past 6 months
Opioid	35 (15.4)
Stimulant	93 (41.0)
Alcohol	36 (15.9)
Cannabis	52 (22.9)
Ketamine	2 (0.9)
None	7 (3.1)
Injection drug use, past 6 months	94 (41.4)
Drugs injected^e
Heroin	52 (55.3)
Prescription opioids	32 (34.0)
Cocaine	47 (50.0)
Amphetamine	13 (13.8)
Both opioid & stimulant	27 (28.7)
Other	5 (5.3)

^a2 missing values
^bQuestion pertained to the 6 months preceding the interview in May–June 2020, and the period since the pandemic (ranging from 6 to 9 months prior to the interview) in September–December 2020
^cReporting income from informal or street-based income generation activities, e.g. panhandling, sex work, recycling, pawning
^dSelf-reported lifetime diagnosis of: lung disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic liver or kidney disease, HIV, HCV, or other condition affecting immune system
^e% calculated among people reporting past six-month injection drug use (n = 94)

ISSN: 1477-7517