Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32058244›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2020

Reasons for assisting with injection initiation: Results from a large survey of people who inject drugs in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California.

Kelsey A Simpson, Alex H Kral, Jesse L Goldshear, Lynn Wenger, Carol S Strike, Ricky N Bluthenthal

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Substance use & misuse · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Kelsey A SimpsonDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2001 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA. Electronic address: kasimpso@usc.edu.
Alex H KralBehavioral Health Research Division, RTI International, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 800, Berkeley, CA, 94704, USA.
Jesse L GoldshearDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2001 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA.
Lynn WengerBehavioral Health Research Division, RTI International, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 800, Berkeley, CA, 94704, USA.
Carol S StrikeDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada.
Ricky N BluthenthalDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2001 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA.

Funding

Regulation of juvenile hormone titers in mosquitoesR01AI045545 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · PI NORIEGA, FERNANDO GABRIEL. · 2001 to 2019
$7.1M
Preventing injection initiation: The Change The Cycle Randomized Controlled TrialR01DA038965 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI BLUTHENTHAL, RICKY N, KRAL, ALEXANDER H · 2015 to 2018
$3.0M
Cannabis use and health outcomes among opioid-using people who inject drugs in the context of cannabis legalizationR01DA046049 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI BLUTHENTHAL, RICKY N, CORSI, KAREN F · 2019 to 2022
$2.6M
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI045545NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA038965NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA046049
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Injection drug initiation usually requires assistance by someone who already injects drugs. To develop interventions that prevent people from starting to inject drugs, it is imperative to understand why people who inject drugs (PWID) assist with injection initiation.

methodsInjection initiation history and motives for initiating others were collected from 978 PWID in Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA, from 2016-17. This article documents motivations for providing injection initiation assistance and examines demographic, economic, and health-related factors associated with these motivations using multivariable logistic regression modeling.

resultsAmong the 405 PWID who ever facilitated injection initiation, motivations for initiating were: injury prevention (66%), skilled at injecting others (65%), to avoid being pestered (41%), in exchange for drugs/money (45%), and for food/shelter/transportation (15%). High frequency initiation (>5 lifetime injection initiations) was associated with all motivations except for being pestered. Initiation to prevent injury was associated with being female. Initiation due to pestering was associated with recycling income and sex work. Being skilled was associated with age and HIV status, while initiation for money or drugs was associated with age, race, education, social security income, and substance use treatment. Lastly, initiation for food, shelter, or transportation was associated with age, sexual orientation and education level.

conclusionDiverse factors were associated with reported motivations for assisting someone to initiate injection for the first time. Our analysis underscores the need for prevention strategies focused on improving economic and housing conditions along with implementing drug consumption rooms to disrupt the social processes of injection initiation.

Indexed as

MotivationSurveys and QuestionnairesAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansInjectionsLos AngelesMaleMiddle AgedSan FranciscoSexual BehaviorSubstance Abuse, IntravenousYoung AdultInjection drug useInjection initiationPreventionPWID

Identifiers

PMID32058244
PMCPMC7127951

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.