Iskandar et al. BMC Public Health 2010, 10:472 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/10/472 Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of former and current injecting drug users Total group (N = 210) fIDUs (N = 92) Age, mean 27,8 (3,8) 28,1 (4,0) Male gender 92% 89% Drug use Age of first drug use, mean 14,0 (2,8) 14,2 (3,3) Age of first drug injection, mean 18,0 (3,1) 18,4 (3,1) Years of injecting in life time, mean 7,1 (3,8) 5,5 (3,6) Marital Status Married/remarried 30% 36% Widowed 2% 3% Separated/divorced 11% 6% Never married 57% 55% Employment in the past 3 years Full time 41% 48% Part-time 37% 36% Student 5% 5% Unemployed or housewife 17% 11% Education Junior high school or less 6% 4% Senior high school 87% 87% Undergraduate or higher 7% 7% HIV-AIDS Ever HIV-tested 75% 71% HIV-infected# 63% 66% Have developed AIDS## 30% 44% All data are presented in percentage unless stated otherwise # n = 145; no data available for 12 subjects; ## n = 83; no data for 8 HIV-positive subjects cIDUs (N = 118) 27,5 (3,8) 95% 13,8 (2,2) 17,8 (3,1) 8,4 (3,4) 25% 2% 14% 59% 36% 39% 4% 21% 7% 87% 6% 78% 60% 18% Page 4 of 7 P 0,64 0,12 0,35 0,31 0,17 < 0,01 0,35 0,13 0,48 0,23 0,47 0,01 another person (27%); touching his/her own injection site soon after ‘assisting’ another person with their injection (26%); and injecting a drug that was prepared immediately after ‘assisting’ another person with their injection but without washing hands between activities (26%). While fIDUs did not inject anymore, 13% still had some risk of blood borne pathogens transmission, especially through accidental needle stick injuries and sucking or licking and other handling of another per- son’s used needle/syringe. Interestingly, benzodiazepine use was more common among IDUs engaging in risky injecting behavior, 56% vs. 39% among cIDUs (X2 = 2,26; P = 0,19) and fIDUs (33% vs 9%; X2 = 5,99; P = 0,03). Injecting risk behavior was not associated with use of alcohol, cannabis or methadone/buprenorphin (data not shown). Table 2 Drug use among former and current injecting drug users Kind of drug # Life time drug use fIDUs (n = 92) cIDUs (n = 118) Any use of alcohol 91% 97% Alcohol, over threshold ## 66% 70% Heroin 99% 100% Methadone or buprenorphine 33% 65% Other opiates 22% 23% Benzodiazepines 66% 79% Amphetamine 52% 53% Cannabis 84% 87% Ecstasy (MDMA) 44% 37% More than one substance 78% 83% P 0,14 0,66 0,44 < 0,01 0,87 0,06 0,89 0,55 0,40 0,38 Drug use in last 30 days fIDUs (n = 92) cIDUs (n = 118) 42% 59% 26% 42% 0% 79% 12% 53% 1% 5% 12% 52% 1% 9% 13% 47% 9% 14% 12% 55% P 0,03 0,02 < 0,01 < 0,01 0,14 < 0,01 0,03 < 0,01 0,28 < 0,01 # regular use (more than 3 times or 2 consecutive days a week). ## ≥ 3 drinks in 1-2 hours, ≥ 3 times or 2 consecutive days a week. Note: Less than three participants used inhalant, hallucinogens or cocaine in the last 30 days.