Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36691010›Full record

ArticleHarm reduction journal2023

Does sexuality matter? A cross-sectional study of drug use, social injecting, and access to injection-specific care among men who inject drugs in Melbourne, Australia.

Sophia E Schroeder, A L Wilkinson, D O'Keefe, A Bourne, J S Doyle, M Hellard, P Dietze, A Pedrana

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Harm reduction journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Sophia E SchroederDisease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia. sophia.schroeder@burnet.edu.au.
A L WilkinsonDisease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia.
D O'KeefeDisease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia.
A BourneAustralian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia.
J S DoyleDisease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia.
M HellardDisease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia.
P Dietze *Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia.
A Pedrana *Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia.
Burnet Institute · AUMonash University · AUCurtin University · AUUniversity of Melbourne · AUUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) are overrepresented in cohorts of people who inject drugs. GBMSM's substance use is usually explored in the context of its contribution to sexual risk. We examined drug use practices, connectedness to other people who inject drugs, peer-to-peer injecting, and access to care among men who inject drugs in Melbourne, Australia. We aim to describe similarities and differences in these parameters for GBMSM and other men.

methodsData were drawn from a prospective cohort study of people who inject drugs conducted in Melbourne, Australia, since 2009. This cross-sectional study used data collected between 2016 and 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to assess differences between GBMSM and other men.

resultsOf 525 men who injected drugs over the study period, 48 (9%) identified as gay or bisexual, or reported sex with other men in the past 12 months. GBMSM and other men reported similar socio-demographics, drug practices (age of injecting initiation, most injected drug, peer-to-peer injecting, receptive syringe sharing) and access to injecting-specific care (drug treatment, source of needle-syringes). A significantly greater percentage of GBMSM reported past 12-month hepatitis C testing (69% vs. 52%, p = 0.028) and preferring methamphetamine (31% vs. 16%, p = 0.022). A higher percentage of GBMSM reported knowing > 50 other people who inject drugs (46% vs. 37%), but this difference was not statistically significant. Both groups primarily obtained injecting equipment from needle-syringe programs; a minority had accessed injecting-specific primary care.

conclusionMen who injected drugs in this cohort and those who identified as GBMSM reported similar drug and health-seeking practices. The higher prevalence of methamphetamine injecting among GBMSM may warrant different harm reduction support for this group. Health promotion should utilise opportunities to connect men who inject drugs in Melbourne to injecting-specific primary health care.

Indexed as

MethamphetamineSexual and Gender MinoritiesSubstance Abuse, IntravenousSubstance-Related DisordersAustraliaCross-Sectional StudiesHomosexuality, MaleHumansMaleProspective StudiesMethamphetamineInjecting practicesInjection drug usePeople who inject drugsSexuality and sociabilitySexual minority men

Identifiers

PMID36691010
PMCPMC9869557
OpenAlexW4317750122

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.