Impact of methadone maintenance treatment on women offenders' post-release recidivism.

Drug--including opioid--dependence is common in correctional populations, however little research exists on interventions for women offenders. Based on retrospective administrative data, we examined rates of return to custody (RTC) among three samples of Canadian federal women offenders with problematic opioid use (total n=137): (1) a group initiated on MMT during incarceration who continued MMT post-release (MMT-C; n=25); (2) a group initiated on MMT but who terminated treatment post-release (MMT-T; n=67), and (3) a non-MMT control group (MMT-N; n=45). Study groups were similar regarding socio-demographic, drug use and criminogenic indicators. Based on an unadjusted Cox proportional hazards model, the MMT-C group had a 65% lower risk of RTC than the MMT-N (reference) group (HR 0.35, CI 0.13-0.90); RTC risk was not different between the MMT-T and the reference group. Most RTCs were for technical revocations (e.g. violation of a legal condition of their release). Continuous MMT following release from corrections appears to be effective in reducing recidivism in women offenders with opioid problems; barriers to MMT in the study population should be better understood and ameliorated.

Human papillomavirus vaccine uptake in boys and girls in a school-based vaccine delivery program in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

BACKGROUND: In 2013, Prince Edward Island was the first province to introduce HPV vaccine universally to grade six boys in a school-based program. Because uptake rates in boys are unknown in this type of vaccination program, uptake of HPV vaccination in boys was measured and compared with uptake rates in girls and then analyzed with factors such as county, urban-rural location of the school, and school board to identify where the vaccine program could be improved. METHODS: HPV vaccination records from the provincial childhood immunization registry in PEI were merged with Department of Education data containing all grade six girls and boys in PEI. Vaccine uptakes between years and between sexes were compared using two sample tests of proportions. Logistic regression modeling which accounted for the hierarchical nature of the data was used to analyze associations between factors and uptake rates. RESULTS: Although uptake was high in boys and girls, a significantly greater proportion of girls (85%) received all three doses of the HPV vaccine compared to boys (79%; p=0.004). The odds of grade six girls being fully vaccinated for HPV were 1.5 times greater than of grade six boys, and the odds of students in the English Language School Board receiving all three doses were more than twice as great as the odds of French Language School Board students. CONCLUSIONS: HPV vaccination for boys in PEI has had a successful launch, almost reaching the Canadian Immunization Committee recommendations of >80% for the early years of a program. PEI has a highly organized Public Health Nursing program that is involved in all childhood and school-based vaccinations in PEI and in this context very high coverage rates were obtained. Areas to target for improving uptake include the boys and the students in the French Language School Board.