Syringe reuse among people who inject drugs in rural Appalachian Kentucky

• Published in: The International journal of drug policy Vol. 128; p. 104422
• Main Authors: Jahangir, Tasfia, Fuller, Grayson K., Livingston, Melvin D., Freeman, Edward, Fanucchi, Laura C., Fallin-Bennett, Amanda, Cooper, Hannah L.F., Young, April M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-06-2024
• Subjects: Adult; Appalachian Region; Equipment Reuse - statistics & numerical data; Female; Humans; Injection drug use; Kentucky; Male; Middle Aged; Needle reuse; Needle-Exchange Programs - statistics & numerical data; Rural; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Substance Abuse, Intravenous - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Syringe reuse; Syringes - supply & distribution; Young Adult; Appalachian Region; Kentucky; Rural; SSP; Injection drug use; Syringe reuse; IDU; Needle reuse
• ISSN: 0955-3959; 1873-4758; 1873-4758
• DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104422

•Research on repeated use (reuse) of syringes for injection drug use is limited.•Reuse of one's own syringes can confer risk for major bacterial infections.•Syringe reuse is highly prevalent in this rural sample of people who inject drugs.•Nearly half the sample reported using each syringe more than three times.•Use of and proximity to syringe service programs were associated with less reuse.
Personal syringe reuse (i.e., reuse of one's own syringes) can place people who inject drugs at increased risk for infectious disease but has received relatively little attention in published literature. The purpose of this study is to identify factors associated with syringe reuse among people who inject drugs in rural Kentucky.
Participants (n = 238) completed interviewer-administered questionnaires on syringe reuse and demographic, behavioral, and service access characteristics. Unadjusted negative binomial regression with cluster-robust standard errors was used to model the associations with a logged offset for number of injections in the past 30 days.
The average age of the sample was 35 and 59.7 % were male. Most participants (77.7 %) reused syringes at least once in the past 30 days, using each syringe a median of three times. Reuse was higher among those who were older and reported a higher street price for syringes. Syringe reuse was lower among people who were within walking distance to a syringe service program (SSP) and who obtained most of their syringes from SSPs or pharmacies.
Syringe reuse among people who inject drugs in rural Kentucky is common. However, these data suggest that increased access to syringes from SSPs and pharmacies, as well as policy-level interventions that reduce street syringe price, might reduce syringe reuse and related harms.