HIV status and substance use disorder treatment need and utilization among adults in the United States, 2015-2019: Implications for healthcare service provision and integration.

INTRODUCTION: Substance use disorders (SUD) are associated with HIV acquisition and care disruptions. Most research focuses on clinical samples; however, we used a nationally representative, community-based sample to estimate SUD treatment need and utilization by HIV status. METHODS: We included participants from the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health aged 18 and older who met past-year DSM-IV SUD criteria (n = 22,166). Participants self-reported whether a healthcare professional ever told them they had HIV or AIDS [i.e., people with HIV (PWH), non-PWH, HIV status unknown]. Outcomes included past-year: 1) any SUD treatment use; 2) any specialty SUD treatment use; and 3) perceived SUD treatment need. Survey weighted multivariable logistic regression models estimated the likelihood of each outcome by HIV status, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, survey year, health insurance status, and household income. RESULTS: Overall, 0.5 % were PWH and 0.8 % had an HIV unknown status. Any past-year SUD treatment utilization was low across all groups (10.3 % non-PWH, 24.2 % PWH, and 17.3 % HIV status unknown respondents). Specialty SUD treatment utilization was reported by 7.2 % of non-PWH, 17.8 % PWH, and 10.9 % HIV status unknown respondents. Perceived treatment need was reported by 4.9 % of non-PWH, 12.4 % of PWH, and 3.7 % of HIV status unknown respondents. In adjusted models, PWH were more likely than non-PWH to report any past-year SUD treatment utilization (aOR = 2.06; 95 % CI = 1.08-3.94) or past-year specialty SUD treatment utilization (aOR = 2.07; 95 % CI = 1.07-4.01). Among those with a drug use disorder other than cannabis, respondents with HIV-unknown status were less likely than HIV-negative individuals to report past-year perceived treatment need (aOR = 0.39; 95 % CI = 0.20-0.77). CONCLUSIONS: Despite high SUD treatment need among PWH, more than three quarters of PWH with SUD reported no past-year treatment. Compared to non-PWH, PWH had higher treatment utilization and higher specialty treatment utilization, but SUD treatment was low across all groups. As SUD is associated with adverse HIV outcomes, our findings highlight the need for the integration of SUD treatment with HIV testing and care. Increasing access to SUD treatment could help reduce negative SUD-related outcomes along the HIV care continuum.

Correlates of Unmet Need for Modern Contraception Among Reproductive-Aged Women Involved in New York City Criminal Legal Systems.

Introduction: The population of women involved in criminal legal systems (WICL), a majority of whom are reproductive-aged, has risen steadily in the United States. They contend with numerous barriers to sexual and reproductive health services resulting in high rates of unmet need for contraception and unintended pregnancy. Materials and Methods: This study included 132 non-pregnancy seeking reproductive-aged WICL enrolled in the baseline assessment of the HIV prevention intervention, "Women on the Road to Health" (WORTH). A multivariate generalized linear logistic regression model with robust estimation examined effects of past 6-month intimate partner violence (IPV; sexual and physical/injurious), past 3-month substance use (binge drinking, cannabis, other illegal drug use), and lifetime mental health diagnoses (anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder) on women's unmet need for modern contraception, adjusting for significant demographic and socioeconomic factors. Results: Women who were younger in age (odds ratio [OR]: 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.63-0.88) and reporting lifetime diagnoses of anxiety disorders (OR: 13.64; 95% CI: 2.71-68.34) were significantly more likely to meet the criteria for unmet need for modern contraception. Women with a regular gynecologist (OR: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.01-0.86) reporting lifetime diagnoses of bipolar disorder and past 6-month sexual IPV histories (OR: 0.04; 95% CI: 0.002-0.86) were significantly less likely to meet the criteria for unmet need for modern contraception. Conclusions: Distinct mental health diagnoses and experiences of IPV may uniquely impact unmet need for modern contraception among WICL. These findings emphasize the need for a more nuanced comprehension of these relationships to deliver comprehensive and holistic health services that address the intersecting needs of this population.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01784809. Registered 6 February 2013.

"Protected Means Armed": Perspectives on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Among Women Who Engage in Sex Work and Use Drugs in Kazakhstan.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention has recently become available in Kazakhstan, but women engaged in sex work who use drugs (WESW-UD) could benefit from tailored approaches to support uptake and adherence. To better understand how best to support WESW-UD at each stage of the PrEP continuum (awareness, acceptability, uptake, and adherence), we analyzed data from 30 in-depth interviews and four focus groups with 48 WESW-UD from two cities in Kazakhstan. We conducted thematic analysis to characterize perceptions, barriers, and motivators within each step of the PrEP continuum. Participants reported low awareness, but high interest in PrEP. Motivating factors included optimizing health and increased confidence. Participants expressed many preferences and concerns regarding PrEP modality and delivery. Participants also described how organizational mistrust and social support can prevent or facilitate PrEP uptake or adherence. Kazakhstan's scale-up of PrEP should consider the needs and preferences of WESW-UD to ensure equitable access.

In our responses to the overdose epidemic, we cannot forget pregnant and postpartum people.

In 2021, there were over 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States (US). Death rates have increased faster among women than men, particularly among Black and Indigenous people. Although drug overdose is a leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths, birthing people are rarely emphasized in discussions of overdose and research and services remain limited. Data show increases in drug use and deaths among women of child-bearing age, with risks continuing in the postpartum period. Harms experienced by birthing people who use drugs occur in the context of broader inequities in maternal morbidity and mortality that lead to disparate reproductive health outcomes. Shared structural antecedents (e.g. intersecting sexism and racism, stigma, and punitive policies) underlie overlapping epidemics of overdose and maternal morbidity and mortality. Here we discuss the unique challenges placed on birthing people who use drugs and make recommendations on how to mitigate harms by improving access to and delivery of quality care and addressing unjust policies and practices. We highlight the need for integrated health services, clearer guidelines rooted in equity, and the need for changes to policy and practice that support rather than punish. To better serve individuals and families impacted by substance use, we need multilevel solutions that advance gender equity and racial justice to reshape and/or dismantle the systems that undergird oppression.

Preferences for an HIV Self-Testing Program Among Women who Engage in sex Work and use Drugs in Kazakhstan, Central Asia.

Purpose: Women engaged in sex work (WESW) who use drugs face barriers to HIV testing. HIV self-testing (HST) may empower sex workers to learn their HIV status; however, it is not scaled up among WESW in Kazakhstan. This study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators to traditional HIV testing and HST among this population. Method: We conducted 30 in-depth interviews (IDIs) and four focus groups (FGs) with Kazakhstani WESW who use drugs. Pragmatic analysis was used to explore key themes from qualitative data. Results: Participants welcomed HST due to its potential to overcome logistical challenges by accessing HIV testing, as well as the stigma that WESW faces in traditional HIV testing. Participants desired emotional and social support for HST, and for linkage to HIV care and other services. Discussion: HST among women who exchange sex and use drugs can be successfully implemented to mitigate stigma and barriers to HIV testing.

Women with substance use disorders are highly impacted by the overturning of Roe v. Wade: Advocacy steps are urgently needed.

The Supreme Court's ruling to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade verdict represents a major setback for women's reproductive freedoms in the United States. This ruling revokes constitutional protection for abortion rights and returns the decision to the states. Since this ruling in June 2022, numerous states have adopted total or near total abortion bans, with many of these bans offering no exception for rape, incest, or nonfatal maternal health risks. Legal experts also warn that this ruling can open the door to restrict contraceptive rights previously protected under the same implied constitutional right to privacy as abortion. Already, this decision has increased momentum for states to place restrictions on specific forms of contraception. Certain groups of women will be disproportionately harmed by these bans, such as women with substance use disorders (SUDs). Women with SUDs face unique barriers to sexual and reproductive health services that exist at the structural level (e.g., criminalization; costs and accessibility), interpersonal level (e.g., higher rates of intimate partner violence) and individual level (e.g., reduced reproductive autonomy). These synergistic barriers interact to produce lower contraceptive use, increased unintended pregnancy rates, and subsequently a greater need for abortion services among this population. This ruling will exacerbate the effects of these barriers on women with SUDs, resulting in even greater difficulties accessing contraceptive and abortion services, and ultimately increasing rates of criminalization among pregnant and parenting women with SUDs. This commentary describes these barriers and highlights potential advocacy steps that are urgently needed to assist reproductive-aged women with SUDs during these challenging times when essential health services are increasingly inaccessible.

Past-year medical and non-medical opioid use by HIV status in a nationally representative US sample: Implications for HIV and substance use service integration.

AIM: In the context of the continued overdose epidemic, recent population estimates of opioid use in highly affected groups, such as people at risk for or people living with HIV (PLWH), are essential for service planning and provision. Although nonmedical opioid use is associated with HIV transmission and with lowered adherence and care engagement, most studies rely on clinic-based samples and focus on medical use of opioids only. We examine associations between opioid-related outcomes by HIV status in a community-based nationally representative sample. METHODS: The 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health included 213,203 individuals aged 18 and older. Respondents self-reported whether a health care professional ever told them they had HIV/AIDS (i.e., HIV-positive/PLWH, HIV-negative, HIV-unknown). Opioid-related outcomes included past-year medical opioid use and past-year nonmedical (i.e., prescription opioid and heroin) use. Multinomial logistic regression estimated adjusted relative risk ratios between past-year opioid-related outcomes and HIV status, controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, income, population density, and year. RESULTS: In 2015-2019, 0.2 % of respondents were PLWH and 0.3 % self-reported an HIV-unknown status. Past-year medical opioid use was 37.3 % among PLWH, 30.4 % among HIV-negative and 21.9 % among HIV-unknown individuals. Past-year nonmedical use was 11.1 % among PLWH, 4.2 % among HIV-negative and 7.2 % among HIV-unknown individuals. Compared to HIV-negative individuals, PLWH had 3.21 times higher risk of past-year nonmedical use vs. no use (95 % CI:2.02-5.08) and 2.02 times higher risk of past-year nonmedical vs. medical opioid use only (95 % CI:1.24-2.65). CONCLUSION: Nonmedical opioid use prevalence was almost three times higher among PLWH than HIV-negative individuals. Because opioid use and its related harms disproportionately burden PLWH, integrating HIV and substance use prevention and treatment services may improve both HIV-related and opioid-related outcomes, including overdose.

Sex Work Venue Disorder and HIV/STI Risk Among Female Sex Workers in Two México-US Border Cities: A Latent Class Analysis.

Research increasingly recognizes the importance of social and built environments in shaping health, including risks for and outcomes related to HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI), but research on sex work venues is limited. We use latent class analysis to identify patterns of sex work venue characteristics and factors associated with class membership in two México-US border cities. Among 603 female sex workers (FSW), three classes of sex work venues were identified: low, medium, and high disorder venues, characterized by level of violence, policing and drug activity. In multivariable analysis, risk exposures and outcomes varied by class, suggesting the need for place-based interventions that are tailored to specific venue profiles and that promote FSW health and safety in the workplace.

Economic vulnerability, violence, and sexual risk factors for HIV among female sex workers in Tijuana, Mexico.

Economic vulnerability is often reported to underlie involvement in sex work among female sex workers (FSW), but may also create urgency in women's work, limiting women's negotiating power with clients and in turn, increasing their vulnerability for violence and HIV. This study assessed economic vulnerability in relation to violence and sexual risk behaviors for HIV among a sample of FSW in Tijuana, Mexico. FSW at least 18 years of age were recruited through venue-based sampling for a survey (n = 228) and in-depth interviews (n = 50) to investigate HIV risk factors in this region. Using crude and adjusted logistic regression models, we assessed lack of financial support from others as well as reports of financial hardship separately in relation to experiencing sexual violence (e.g. by clients, police, relationship partners, in the past 6 months), physical violence (past 6 months), STI diagnosis, and inconsistent condom use (past 30 days). Qualitative interviews (n = 50), conducted with a subsample of the survey participants, were also examined for related themes. FSW who reported no financial support were more likely to report sexual violence (OR = 2.1; 95% CI:1.1-4.2). FSW who reported financial hardship were more likely to experience sexual violence (OR = 1.9; 95% CI:1.1-3.6) and physical violence (OR = 1.9; 95% CI:1.1-3.6), as well as to report past 30-day inconsistent condom use (OR = 2.4; 95%CI: 1.3-4.6) and to test positive for an STI (OR = 1.9; 95% CI:1.1-3.4). Qualitative data substantiated these findings. Findings suggest that interventions to improve economic well-being may be useful to prevent the intersecting concerns of violence and HIV among FSW.

Typologies and Correlates of Police Violence Against Female Sex Workers Who Inject Drugs at the México-United States Border: Limits of De Jure Decriminalization in Advancing Health and Human Rights.

Decriminalization of sex work is increasingly promoted as a structural measure to improve the health of vulnerable groups. In México, sex work is not illegal, but knowledge of policies' street-level impact is limited. This study describes typologies of police violence against female sex workers who inject drugs (FSWID), identifying risk and protective factors for violence exposure to inform policy responses. Survey data were collected during 2008-2010 among HIV-negative FSWID in a behavioral intervention in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez (N = 584). Latent class analysis identified typologies of police violence in the past 6 months: asked for money, money taken, syringes taken, asked for sex, and sexually assaulted. Structural equation modeling (SEM) predicted latent class membership using sociodemographic, behavioral and risk environment factors, controlling for age, education, marital status, and city. Recent police violence was reported by 68% of FSWID, with three typologies emerging: Low (36.6%); Material (47.8%): having money/syringes taken or being asked for money; and Material/Sexual (15.7%): material violence and being asked for sex or sexually assaulted. In multivariable SEM, Material Violence was associated with: being jailed [adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 4.34], HIV testing (aOR = 2.18), and trading sex indoors (aOR = 1.66). Factors associated with Material/Sexual Violence included: being jailed (aOR = 41.18), injecting with clients (aOR = 3.12), earning more money for sex without a condom (aOR = 2.88), being raped by a client (aOR = 2.13), drinking with clients (aOR = 2.03), receiving substance use treatment (aOR = 1.95), being <18 when first trading sex (aOR = .43), trading sex outdoors (aOR = .53), and poor working conditions (aOR = .56). Despite de jure decriminalization of sex work, police violence against FSWID at the México-United States border is pervasive with implications for sex- and drug-related harms. Closing gaps in policy implementation and mitigating material/sexual violence from police is imperative to decreasing economic vulnerability, risk of overdose and HIV, and improving engagement in HIV and harm reduction services.

COVID-19 and the shifting organisation of sex work markets in Singapore.

While past studies have sought to capture how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on the health and sexual lives of sex workers internationally, less attention has been paid to the reorganisation of sex markets as a result of COVID-19. We conducted a sequential exploratory mixed methods study using in-depth interviews, cyber ethnography and surveyor-administered structured surveys among sex workers. We report two key findings on how the pandemic has impacted sex markets in Singapore. First, the organisation of sex markets shifted as a result of lockdown and associated movement control measures. This shift was characterised by the out-migration of sex workers, the reduction in supply and demand for in-person sex work, and a shift towards online spaces. Second, we found that sex workers experienced greater economic hardship as a result of such changes. Given the potential shifts in sex markets as a result of the pandemic, we adopt a World Health Organisation Health Workplace Framework and Model to identify interventions to improve the occupational safety and health of sex workers in a post-COVID-19 era.

Assessing the relationship between syringe exchange, pharmacy, and street sources of accessing syringes and injection drug use behavior in a pooled nationally representative sample of people who inject drugs in the United States from 2002 to 2019.

Provision of sterile syringes is an evidence-based strategy of reducing syringe sharing and reusing and yet, access to sterile syringes through pharmacies and syringe exchange programs (SEPs) in the United States remains inadequate. This nationally representative study examined associations between obtaining syringes from pharmacies, SEPs, and sterilizing syringes with bleach and risk of syringe borrowing, lending and reusing syringes in a pooled cross-sectional dataset of 1737 PWID from the 2002-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Logistic regression was used to produce odds ratios (OR) of the odds of injection drug behaviors after adjusting for obtaining syringes from SEPs, pharmacies, the street, and other sources and potential confounders of race, ethnicity, sex, education, and insurance coverage. Obtaining syringes through SEPs was associated with lower odds of borrowing (OR = .4, CI95% = .2, .9, p = .022) and reusing syringes (OR = .3, CI95% = .2, .6, < .001) compared to obtaining syringes on the street. Obtaining syringes from pharmacies was associated with lower odds of borrowing (OR = .5, CI95% = .3, .9, p = .037) and lending (OR = .5 CI95% = .3, .9, p = .020) syringes. Using bleach to clean syringes was associated with increased odds of borrowing (OR = 2.0, CI95% = 1.3, 3.0, p = .002), lending (OR = 2.0, CI95% = 1.3, 3.0, p = .002) and reusing syringes (OR = 2.4, CI95% = 1.6, 3.6, p < .001). Our findings support provision of syringes through pharmacies and SEPs as a gold-standard strategy of reducing sharing and reuse of syringes in the US.

"I would rather do it myself": injection initiation and current injection patterns among women who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Women who inject drugs (WWID) experience unique risks and adverse health outcomes related to injection initiation and patterns of injection drug use. However, there is limited information on injection initiation experiences and injection patterns among women and the protective strategies employed to limit injection-related harms, especially in low- and middle-income settings. Therefore, this study sought to explore injection initiation and current injection patterns (e.g., relying on someone else to inject) among women who inject drugs and engage in sex work in Tijuana, Mexico. METHODS: Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 WWID on the following topics: injection initiation, current injection patterns, places where women inject, and protective strategies (i.e., risk reduction). All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and de-identified. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted to identify and compare common themes and patterns across participants. RESULTS: The interviews revealed that the vast majority of study participants were first initiated by another person who injects drugs (PWID), often a male sexual partner. However, the majority of the women transitioned to become self-injectors in order to avoid risks associated with relying on others for injection, including overdose, interpersonal violence, sexual abuse, and wounds. Those who relied on others indicated that they would prefer to inject themselves without assistance from others if they were able to. CONCLUSIONS: The narratives uncovered in this study reveal the importance of multiple risk environments in shaping perceived risks associated with injection drug use among women in Tijuana, Mexico. Specifically, the interviews elucidate the connection between interpersonal relationships with other PWID and protective strategies used to minimize risk and harm. These findings highlight the need for women-centered harm reduction programs to facilitate the development of safer drug use environments among WWID in Tijuana, Mexico.

Sex differences in the multilevel determinants of injection risk behaviours among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: HIV and hepatitis C virus transmission among people who inject drugs (PWID) is fuelled by personal and environmental factors that vary by sex. We studied PWID in Mexico to identify sex differences in multilevel determinants of injection risk. DESIGN AND METHODS: From 2011 to 2013, 734 PWID (female: 277, male: 457) were enrolled into an observational cohort study in Tijuana. Participants completed interviews on injection and sexual risks. Utilising baseline data, we conducted multiple generalised linear models stratified by sex to identify factors associated with injection risk scores (e.g. frequency of injection risk behaviours). RESULTS: For both sexes, difficult access to sterile syringes was associated with elevated injection risk (b = 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-1.33), using syringes from a safe source (e.g. needle exchange programs) was associated with lower injection risk (b = 0.87, 95% CI 0.82-0.94), and for every one-unit increase in safe injection self-efficacy we observed a 20% decrease in injection risk (b = 0.80, 95% CI 0.76-0.84). Females had a higher safe injection self-efficacy score compared to males (median 2.83, interquartile range 2.2-3 vs. median 2.83, interquartile range 2-3; P = 0.01). Among females, incarceration (b = 1.22, 95% CI 1.09-1.36) and police confiscation of syringes in the past 6 months (b = 1.16, 95% CI 1.01-1.33) were associated with elevated injection risk. Among males, sex work (b = 1.16, 95% CI 1.04-1.30) and polysubstance use in the past 6 months (b = 1.22, 95% CI 1.13-1.31) were associated with elevated injection risk. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to reduce HIV and hepatitis C virus transmission among PWID in Tijuana should be sex-specific and consider multilevel determinants of injection risk to create safer drug use environments.

Correlates of trichomoniasis among female sex workers who inject drugs in two Mexico-US border cities.

This paper evaluates correlates of trichomoniasis among female sex workers who inject drugs (FSWIDs) in two Mexico-US border cities. HIV-negative FSWIDs aged 18 years or older were enrolled in a study between 2008 and 2010 in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez (Cd.), Mexico. All participants underwent a baseline interviewer-administered survey and did a rapid test for trichomoniasis. Using regression to estimate prevalence ratios, we examined sociodemographics, sex work characteristics, sexual health and behavior, substance use, and police and violence exposures as potential correlates of trichomoniasis. Of 584 women (284 in Tijuana, 300 in Cd. Juarez), prevalence of trichomoniasis was 33.6%. Factors associated with trichomoniasis in multivariable analysis were having money stolen by police in the past six months (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] =1.448, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.152-1.821), recent methamphetamine use (aPR = 1.432, CI = 1.055-1.944), lifetime syphilis infection (aPR = 1.360, CI = 1.061-1.743), ever use of a home remedy to treat vaginal symptoms (aPR = 1.301, CI = 1.027-1.649), and number of regular clients in the past month (aPR = 1.006 per client, CI = 1.004-1.009), while controlling for age and city of interview. Alongside the need for trichomoniasis surveillance and treatment programs, findings indicate that both structural and behavioral factors serve as primary correlates of trichomoniasis among FSWIDs in these cities.

Sex Work as a Mediator Between Female Gender and Incident HIV Infection Among People Who Inject Drugs in Tijuana, Mexico.

We studied mechanisms driving gender differences in HIV incidence among 651 women and men who inject drugs (PWID) in Tijuana, Mexico, hypothesizing that sex work will mediate the association between female gender and HIV incidence. Of 43 HIV seroconversions occurring between 2011 and 2018, 8.8% were among females and 5.2% among males. HIV incidence density was significantly higher among females versus males (1.75 per 100 person years [PY], 95% CI 1.16-2.66, vs. 0.95 per 100 PY, 95% CI 0.62-1.47). Factors significantly associated with HIV seroconversion were: sex work (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 2.25, 95% CI 1.05-4.80); methamphetamine injection (aHR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.12-4.73); and methamphetamine and heroin co-injection in the past six months (aHR = 2.26, 95% CI 1.23-4.15). In mediation analyses, sex work mediated a substantial proportion (84.3%) of the association between female gender and HIV incidence. Interventions should target female PWID who engage in sex work to reduce gender-related disparities in HIV incidence.

Predictors of historical change in drug treatment coverage among people who inject drugs in 90 large metropolitan areas in the USA, 1993-2007.

BACKGROUND: Adequate access to effective treatment and medication assisted therapies for opioid dependence has led to improved antiretroviral therapy adherence and decreases in morbidity among people who inject drugs (PWID), and can also address a broad range of social and public health problems. However, even with the success of syringe service programs and opioid substitution programs in European countries (and others) the US remains historically low in terms of coverage and access with regard to these programs. This manuscript investigates predictors of historical change in drug treatment coverage for PWID in 90 US metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) during 1993-2007, a period in which, overall coverage did not change. METHODS: Drug treatment coverage was measured as the number of PWID in drug treatment, as calculated by treatment entry and census data, divided by numbers of PWID in each MSA. Variables suggested by the Theory of Community Action (i.e., need, resource availability, institutional opposition, organized support, and service symbiosis) were analyzed using mixed-effects multivariate models within dependent variables lagged in time to study predictors of later change in coverage. RESULTS: Mean coverage was low in 1993 (6.7%; SD 3.7), and did not increase by 2007 (6.4%; SD 4.5). Multivariate results indicate that increases in baseline unemployment rate (ß = 0.312; pseudo-p < 0.0002) predict significantly higher treatment coverage; baseline poverty rate (ß = - 0.486; pseudo-p < 0.0001), and baseline size of public health and social work workforce (ß = 0.425; pseudo-p < 0.0001) were predictors of later mean coverage levels, and baseline HIV prevalence among PWID predicted variation in treatment coverage trajectories over time (baseline HIV * Time: ß = 0.039; pseudo-p < 0.001). Finally, increases in black/white poverty disparity from baseline predicted significantly higher treatment coverage in MSAs (ß = 1.269; pseudo-p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: While harm reduction programs have historically been contested and difficult to implement in many US communities, and despite efforts to increase treatment coverage for PWID, coverage has not increased. Contrary to our hypothesis, epidemiologic need, seems not to be associated with change in treatment coverage over time. Resource availability and institutional opposition are important predictors of change over time in coverage. These findings suggest that new ways have to be found to increase drug treatment coverage in spite of economic changes and belt-tightening policy changes that will make this difficult.

Drugs, discipline and death: Causes and predictors of mortality among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, 2011-2018.

BACKGROUND: People who inject drugs (PWID) experience multiple risk factors for mortality; yet, we know little about causes of death among PWID in Tijuana, Mexico, an area with high levels of injecting and changes in policy/law enforcement responses to substance use. This study examines rates, causes, and predictors of mortality among Tijuana PWID. METHODS: Data come from a community-based cohort of PWID aged ≥18 who injected drugs in the past month. Mortality was confirmed by death certificate over 78 months during 2011-2018. Predictors of mortality were identified using time-updated Cox regression, controlling for age. RESULTS: Among 734 participants, there were 130 deaths (54 confirmed, 76 unconfirmed), with an incidence rate of 17.74 deaths per 1000 person-years for confirmed deaths (95% Confidence Interval (CI)=13.01, 22.48) and 39.52 for unconfirmed deaths (CI=32.72, 46.31). Confirmed deaths resulted from homicide/trauma (26%), overdose (26%), septic shock (18%) and HIV-related causes (9%). In multivariable analysis of confirmed deaths, baseline HIV seropositivity (adjusted Hazard Ratio [aHR]=6.77, CI=1.98, 23.17), incident HIV infection (aHR=3.19, CI=1.02, 9.96), and number of times being beaten by police in the past 6 months at baseline (aHR=1.08 per time, CI=1.04, 1.12) were predictive of death; whereas, injection cessation for 6+ months during time at risk (aHR=0.25, CI=0.33, 0.79) was protective. CONCLUSION: In addition to overdose and HIV prevention efforts, attention to structural conditions that potentiate mortality is needed, including improved access to medication-assisted treatment to support injection cessation and a shift from police as a source of harm to harm reduction.

Challenges to mothering while incarcerated: preliminary study of two women's prisons in Java, Indonesia.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to present the characteristics of incarcerated women in two prisons in Java, Indonesia and discuss the specific problems and needs incarcerated women with children face with regard to mothering. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A cross-sectional survey using a semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 399 incarcerated women in two prisons. Focus group discussions provided additional information on mother's experiences in prison. FINDINGS: This research finds that children's welfare was an important concern for mothers while in prison and that they faced various problems in maintaining family ties during their incarceration, including distance, costs and time for family to visit (49.3 percent), and challenges to being able to communicate with family and children (26.6 percent). ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study contributes to the limited research on incarcerated women in Indonesia, broadly, and on mothering and incarceration, in particular, and suggests that women's needs as mothers have not been taken into consideration by prisons and the criminal justice system.

Social Networks of Substance-Using Populations: Key Issues and Promising New Approaches for HIV.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This paper presents recent literature on substance using networks and HIV, highlighting renewed and emerging themes in the field. The goal is to draw attention to research that holds considerable promise for advancing our understanding of the role of networks in shaping behaviors, while also providing critical information for the development of interventions, programs, and policies to reduce HIV and other drug-related harms. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent research advances our understanding of networks and HIV, including among understudied populations, and provides new insight into how risk environments shape the networks and health of substance-using populations. In particular, the integration of network approaches with molecular epidemiology, research on space and place, and intervention methods provides exciting new avenues of investigation. Continued advances in network research are critical to supporting the health and rights of substance-using populations and ensuring the development of high-impact HIV programs and policies.