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Stonium
(BEE-OTCH)
08-18-04 06:24
No 526045
User Picture One in 50 injects drugs, research finds

One in 50 injects drugs, research finds

Press Association
Thursday August 12, 2004

The government has been urged to step up its efforts to tackle drug use after research showed levels of use in English cities to be higher than previously thought.

A study published today revealed that as many as one in 50 young people and adults in three major English cities were injecting drugs.

This statistic is higher than previous Home Office figures, which estimated that in 2001, 0.3% of the population between 15 and 64 years old were injecting drug users.

Using information from sources including drug treatment centres and syringe exchange schemes between 2000-01, researchers from Imperial College London and Liverpool John Moores University studied levels of drug use in London, Liverpool and Brighton.

They discovered that the proportion of adults and young people between 15 and 44 who were injecting drugs was 2% in Brighton, 1.5% in Liverpool and 1.2% in London.

Based on the rates for each city, the researchers said that these figures equated to between 10 and 18 patients in a typical general practice list of 2,000 patients, with 900 aged 15 to 44.

"Thus, in Brighton, Liverpool and London the prevalence of injecting drug use among young adults is as common as diabetes and greater than many other chronic conditions such as epilepsy or psychosis," the researchers said.

The study also found injecting drug-users (IDUs) were more likely to die of their habit in Brighton. Overall, around 1% of IDUs die from an overdose each year, but in Brighton this rate was twice as high.

The government wants to increase the number of problem drug users in treatment programmes in coming years, but researchers said the figures on which the target was based were flawed and more effort was needed to reach the targets.

"The government aims to double the number of problem drug users in treatment," the authors said. "In the three sites [looked at in the study], there is ample opportunity for this [drug treatment], given that less than one in four IDUs are in receipt of treatment at any one time. Unfortunately, the data on the numbers in treatment were of poor quality and requires urgent improvement."

The research also revealed a shortage of sterile needles in each of the cities studied. Around 5 million syringes were distributed each year in London, 400,000 in Brighton and 560,000 in Liverpool.

This works out at 190 syringes per person in Brighton and Liverpool - one used every two days - and slightly less in London at about one used every 2.5 days.

"Given that users inject on average twice a day, this would suggest that current levels of activity provide sterile equipment for approximately 27% of all injections by users in Brighton and Liverpool and 20% in London," the researchers said, adding that this low take-up increased the risk of diseases being spread.

http://society.guardian.co.uk/drugsandalcohol/story/0%2C%2C1281633%2C00.html

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		Stonium (BEE-OTCH) 08-18-04 06:24 No 526045				One in 50 injects drugs, research finds
						One in 50 injects drugs, research finds Press Association Thursday August 12, 2004 The government has been urged to step up its efforts to tackle drug use after research showed levels of use in English cities to be higher than previously thought. A study published today revealed that as many as one in 50 young people and adults in three major English cities were injecting drugs. This statistic is higher than previous Home Office figures, which estimated that in 2001, 0.3% of the population between 15 and 64 years old were injecting drug users. Using information from sources including drug treatment centres and syringe exchange schemes between 2000-01, researchers from Imperial College London and Liverpool John Moores University studied levels of drug use in London, Liverpool and Brighton. They discovered that the proportion of adults and young people between 15 and 44 who were injecting drugs was 2% in Brighton, 1.5% in Liverpool and 1.2% in London. Based on the rates for each city, the researchers said that these figures equated to between 10 and 18 patients in a typical general practice list of 2,000 patients, with 900 aged 15 to 44. "Thus, in Brighton, Liverpool and London the prevalence of injecting drug use among young adults is as common as diabetes and greater than many other chronic conditions such as epilepsy or psychosis," the researchers said. The study also found injecting drug-users (IDUs) were more likely to die of their habit in Brighton. Overall, around 1% of IDUs die from an overdose each year, but in Brighton this rate was twice as high. The government wants to increase the number of problem drug users in treatment programmes in coming years, but researchers said the figures on which the target was based were flawed and more effort was needed to reach the targets. "The government aims to double the number of problem drug users in treatment," the authors said. "In the three sites [looked at in the study], there is ample opportunity for this [drug treatment], given that less than one in four IDUs are in receipt of treatment at any one time. Unfortunately, the data on the numbers in treatment were of poor quality and requires urgent improvement." The research also revealed a shortage of sterile needles in each of the cities studied. Around 5 million syringes were distributed each year in London, 400,000 in Brighton and 560,000 in Liverpool. This works out at 190 syringes per person in Brighton and Liverpool - one used every two days - and slightly less in London at about one used every 2.5 days. "Given that users inject on average twice a day, this would suggest that current levels of activity provide sterile equipment for approximately 27% of all injections by users in Brighton and Liverpool and 20% in London," the researchers said, adding that this low take-up increased the risk of diseases being spread. http://society.guardian.co.uk/drugsandalcohol/story/0%2C%2C1281633%2C00.html _{Learning is a treasure which accompanies its owner everywhere.}

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