Social determinants and hepatitis C among people who inject drugs in Kermanshah, Iran: Socioeconomic status, homelessness, and sufficient syringe coverage

ABSTRACT

Introduction: It has been estimated that 2–4 million people in developing countries possess HCV infection driven by unsafe injection drug use each year that is extending to other population. High-risk injection behaviors are the leading cause of HCV infections among PWIDs. The purpose of this study was to survey prevalence of HCV and risk factors associated with HCV among injecting drug users. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 410 injection drug users in Kermanshah that were recruited through peer-referral and convenience sampling from two Drop-In Centers (DICs). Data were collected using structured information form, and data analysis was done with descriptive and logistic regression. Results: A total of 410 men who injected drugs participated in this study. The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 33.2 ± 7.3 (range 19–58) years, Overall, the prevalence of HCV infections was 42% (95%CI: 23.7–52.5). Trend test showed clear trends for living place, income, age of first injecting drug, age at first drug use across the two groups (P-value < 0.05), but there was no significant trend for marital status, education level, or age (P-value > 0.05). Conclusion: Developing the needle and syringe programs could reduce unsafe injection rate among PWIDs. Therefore, the more accurate and better coverage of NSP programs in PWID, the more reduce in needle sharing rate and HCV infection.

KEYWORDS:

• High-risk injection behaviors
• needle and syringe programs
• people who inject drugs

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

All authors have no conflicts of interest to be declared.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully thank all staff in the drop-in center in Kermanshah who contributed in recruiting (Ms. Barkhordar) and data collection/interview (Mr. Azad and Mr. Amini). We thank participants for their time and interest in the study. We also want to appreciate Mostafa Shokohi from the Regional Knowledge Hub for HIV Surveillance who provided valuable input to the study protocol and the questionnaire.

Funding

This research was funded by Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Office (SAPTO) of Mental Health, Social Health and Addiction Department (MeHSHAD) of Ministry of Health and Medical Education, I. R. of Iran.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Office (SAPTO) of Mental Health, Social Health and Addiction Department (MeHSHAD) of Ministry of Health and Medical Education, I. R. of Iran.

Notes on contributors

Mehdi Noroozi

Study concept and design: HS and AM. Analysis and interpretation of data: MN and SH. Drafting the manuscript: MN and AM. Critical revision of the manuscript: AN, PH, HS, SH, AH, AM.