Burden of HIV Infection Among Aboriginal Injection Drug Users in Vancouver, British Columbia

Overview

Journal Am J Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2008 Feb 1

PMID 18235063

Citations 36

Authors

Evan Wood

Julio S G Montaner

Kathy Li

Ruth Zhang

Lucy Barney

Steffanie A Strathdee

Mark W Tyndall

Thomas Kerr

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: We sought to examine whether there were differential rates of HIV incidence among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal injection drug users in a Canadian setting.

Methods: Data were derived from 2 prospective cohort studies of injection drug users in Vancouver, British Columbia. Using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression, we compared HIV incidence among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal participants.

Results: Overall, 2496 individuals were recruited between May 1996 and December 2005. Compared with that of non-Aboriginal persons, the baseline HIV prevalence was higher among Aboriginal persons (16.0% vs 25.1%; P<.001). Among participants who were HIV negative at baseline, the cumulative HIV incidence at 48 months was higher among Aboriginal persons (18.5% vs 9.5%; P<.001). In multivariate analyses, Aboriginal ethnicity was independently associated with elevated HIV incidence (relative hazard=1.59; 95% confidence interval=1.12, 2.26; P=.009).

Conclusions: Aboriginal persons in Vancouver had a significantly elevated burden of HIV infection, which calls for a culturally sensitive and evidence-based response. Policymakers in other settings with at-risk Aboriginal populations should seek to avert similar public health emergencies by being proactive with evidence-based HIV-prevention programs.

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