Prevalence of Amphetamine-Type Stimulant Use and Related Factors among Methadone Maintenance Patients in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of amphetamine-type stimulant use and associated factors among methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) patients. In 2018, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 967 MMT patients at two methadone clinics in Ho Chi Minh City that serve Vietnamese patients. Amphetamine-type stimulant use was assessed by rapid urine test and face-to-face interview using the Alcohol, Smoking, Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) tool. The prevalence of amphetamine-type stimulant use assessed by urine test was 25.4%. According to ASSIST, the prevalence of moderate and high risk amphetamine-type stimulant use was 15.5% and 1.1%, respectively. Amphetamine-type stimulant use and hazardous use were more prevalent in younger patients, having a part-time job, drug injection, having a lower score of self-health assessment, treated with a higher dose of methadone and missing methadone dose in the past 3 months. By contrast, patients who were HIV positive were less likely to use amphetamine-type stimulants. Cannabis and heroin use were significantly associated with amphetamine-type stimulant use (OR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.38–8.67; and OR = 1.50; CI: 1.04–2.18, respectively) and hazardous use (OR = 4.07; CI: 1.67–9.92; and OR = 2.38; CI: 1.56–3.63, respectively). Screening and interventions are needed to cope with this issue on time, particularly in young patients, having drug injection and concurrent drugs user groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Amphetamine-type stimulants
• assist
• methadone maintenance treatment
• substance use
• Vietnam

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all MMT patients who participated in this study, colleagues in the South Vietnam HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Center and Ho Chi Minh City HIV/AIDS Center, District 4 and District 8 MMT clinics for supporting this research.

Availability of data and material

Available upon request to the corresponding author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the South Vietnam HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Center and Ho Chi Minh City HIV/AIDS Center.