Exploratory Research on Late Initiation of Drug Injection
Description: Individuals who initiate drug injection later in life (30 years of age or older) are at risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, such as HCV and HBV, as well as experiencing drug overdoses and abscesses. These late initiates to injection drug use constitute approximately 16% of active injection drug users, yet no research has been conducted exploring why and how they initiated drug injection. The goals of this study are to describe late initiation of drug injection and understand the unique risk factors and health outcomes- specifically HIV, but also HCV/HBV and other health, social, and psychosocial consequences- associated with this later-life development. The findings will also provide a foundation for the design of effective, age-appropriate interventions to prevent such adverse drug use trajectories.
Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: R01
Start date: 2010-09-30
End date: 2015-08-31
Investigator: RICKY N BLUTHENTHAL
Institution: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Topic: HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Funded outputs count: 42
Funder award ID: R01DA027689
OpenAlex ID: G76351934