Ecstasy Use Among Hispanic and Black Substance Users in New York City

Abstract

Surveillance data suggests that use of ecstasy in the U.S. is predominantly among white adolescent and young adults. To investigate ecstasy use among substance users in New York City we added questions to ongoing efforts to recruit heroin and cocaine users. Of 715 participants recruited, 58.3% were injection dug users (IDUs). The median age was 32 (range 17–64), 76.4% were male, 49.0% were currently homeless, 62.4% were Hispanic, 27.3% were black, and 34.5% were born outside the United States. Overall, 23.4% used ecstasy in their lifetime and 11.9% had used in the last-6 months. In multivariate logistic regression, correlates of lifetime ecstasy use included younger age, being born in the U.S., and current homelessness. We observed a significant interaction between injection drug use and race where, compared to black non-IDUs, Hispanic non-IDUs, and white IDUs were significantly more likely to have a history of lifetime ecstasy use while black IDUs were significantly less likely. These findings are limited to persons who use other drugs, but suggest that further investigation of ecstasy use in minority populations is warranted.

Keywords:

• MDMA
• ecstasy
• minority health
• substance use
• epidemiology

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Danielle C. Ompad

Danielle C. Ompad, Ph.D., is an Investigator at the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine. Dr. Ompad completed her M.H.S. and Ph.D. in infectious disease epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. Dr. Ompad has extensive experience in design, conduct, and analysis of community-based cross-sectional and prospective studies focusing on illicit substance use and risky sexual behavior. Currently, Dr. Ompad's work involves assessing adolescent and young adult risk for HIV, HCV, and other blood-borne pathogens.

Sandro Galea

Sandro Galea, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.PH., is a Medical Epidemiologist and Associate Director at the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine. He did his graduate training at the Harvard University School of Public Health, the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and at the University of Toronto Medical School, Canada. Dr. Galea is primarily interested in the social and economic determinants of health and risk behavior in urban settings. His work includes basic epidemiologic research, theoretic development, and the application of innovative methods to epidemiologic problems. Dr. Galea is an elected member of the American College of Epidemiology and a fellow of the Royal Institute of Public Health. He is board certified in Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine. He has worked as a clinician in remote rural communities in Northern Canada and in Mudug Region, Somalia. He is a licensed physician in Ontario, Canada and New York State.

Crystal M. Fuller

Crystal M. Fuller, Ph.D., is an Investigator in the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at The New York Academy of Medicine. Dr. Fuller completed her M.P.H. in epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health, and earned her Ph.D. in infectious disease epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. Dr. Fuller is an infectious disease epidemiologist and an Assistant Professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Fuller has extensive experience in design, conduct, and analysis of cross-section and follow-up studies focusing on HIV, STDs, and hepatitis infections among urban populations, using a community-based approach.

Vincent Edwards

Vincent Edwards is the Field Director for the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies (CUES) at The New York Academy of Medicine. He has held this position for the past 4 years. Mr. Edwards has more than 14 years of experience working in the substance use/HIV-AIDS field. Mr. Edwards began his work at CUES directing the field activities of the Collaborative Injection Drug Users Study II (CIDUS II), and is the Director of Field Operations for several observational and intervention studies currently in the field.

David Vlahov

David Vlahov, Ph.D., is Director for the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at The New York Academy of Medicine, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, and Adjunct Professor in Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He is also Adjunct Professor in Psychiatry at New York University Medical School, Adjunct Professor at Cornell Weill Medical School, and Visiting Professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University. Dr. Vlahov completed his B.S.N. and M.S. in Nursing at the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He has extensive experience in the design, conduct, and analysis of infectious disease and substance abuse epidemiological studies. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Urban Health and has been appointed to the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse within the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Vlahov has received funding from the NIH and the CDC to conduct epidemiologic intervention studies of HIV prevention in Harlem and the South Bronx involving young, adult recent consent injection drug users and noninjection drug users.