Table 3 Sociodemographic characteristics and study outcomes by heroin pipe use in the post-intervention period

Obtained and used a heroin pipe from the SSP in the past 30 days

110

100%

N/A

N/A

N/A

Used that heroin pipe to smoke heroin (≥ 1 times)

91

83%

N/A

N/A

N/A

Unable to procure heroin pipe because out of stock (≥ 1 times) ^#

38

35%

N/A

N/A

N/A

Median number of heroin pipes received per month at PHRA

2

1–3

N/A

N/A

N/A

Sociodemographic characteristics

Age (years) ^#

35

30–42

35

28–42

0.51

Gender ^#

0.44

Male

63

60%

75

58%

Female

41

39%

50

38%

Trans/Genderqueer/Non-binary

1

1%

5

4%

MSM status ^#

1.00

MSM

3

3%

4

3%

Race ^#

0.08

White/Caucasian

60

57%

81

62%

Black/African-American

9

9%

6

5%

Hispanic/Latino

1

1%

7

5%

Native American

3

3%

11

8%

Asian/Pacific Islander

6

6%

4

3%

Mixed Race

21

20%

16

12%

Other

5

5%

5

4%

Monthly income ^#

Median income (USD)

5

0–800

350

0–1200

0.17

No income

52

50%

56

43%

0.32

Heroin consumption behaviors in the past seven days

Median number times IV injection

21

7–35

20

7–30

0.33

Median number times IM injection

10

2–14

7

3–20

0.49

Median number times smoking heroin

5

2–15

4

2–10

0.18

Exclusive IV and/or IM heroin use

12

11%

68

48%

 < 0.01

Both IV and/or IM heroin use and heroin smoking

63

57%

50

35%

 < 0.01

Exclusive heroin smoking

35

32%

23

16%

 < 0.01

Self-reported impact of heroin pipe distribution

Makes me smoke heroin more frequently ^#

29

26%

17

12%

 < 0.01

No impact on smoking frequency ^#

76

69%

122

87%

Makes me smoke heroin less frequently ^#

5

5%

1

1%

Makes me inject heroin more frequently ^#

0

0%

0

0%

 < 0.01

No impact on injection frequency ^#

73

66%

116

83%

Makes me inject heroin less frequently ^#

37

34%

24

17%

High-risk injection behaviors in the past 30 days

Syringe sharing ^#

8

7%

15

11%

0.36

Syringe reuse ^#

21

19%

42

30%

0.05

Public injection ^#

66

60%

72

51%

0.16

Drug use-associated health outcomes in the past 30 days

Non-lethal opiate overdose ^#

9

8%

9

16%

0.59

SSTI (cellulitis and/or abscess) ^#

36

33%

38

27%

0.34

Hospitalization (all cause) ^#

15

14%

23

16%

0.54

Infective endocarditis ^#

2

2%

0

0%

0.15

Potential harms associated with heroin pipe distribution in the past 30 days

Arrested for possession of a heroin pipe ^#

0

0%

0

0%

N/A

Hospitalizations for pulmonary causes ^#

4

4%

2

2%

0.19