Illicit opioid use in Canada: comparing social, health, and drug use characteristics of untreated users in five cities (OPICAN study)
Article
Fischer, Benedikt, Rehm, Jürgen, Brissette, Suzanne, Brochu, Serge, Bruneau, Julie, el-Gueb, Nady, Noel, Lina, Tyndall, Mark, Wild, Cameron, Mun, Phil and Baliunas, Dolly. 2005. "Illicit opioid use in Canada: comparing social, health, and drug use characteristics of untreated users in five cities (OPICAN study)." Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine. 82 (2), pp. 250-66. https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/jti049
| Article Title | Illicit opioid use in Canada: comparing social, health, and drug use characteristics of untreated users in five cities (OPICAN study) |
|---|---|
| ERA Journal ID | 13697 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | Fischer, Benedikt, Rehm, Jürgen, Brissette, Suzanne, Brochu, Serge, Bruneau, Julie, el-Gueb, Nady, Noel, Lina, Tyndall, Mark, Wild, Cameron, Mun, Phil and Baliunas, Dolly |
| Journal Title | Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine |
| Journal Citation | 82 (2), pp. 250-66 |
| Number of Pages | 17 |
| Year | 2005 |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Place of Publication | United States |
| ISSN | 1099-3460 |
| 1468-2869 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/jti049 |
| Web Address (URL) | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1093/jurban/jti049 |
| Abstract | Most of the estimated 125,000 injection drug users (IDUs) in Canada use illicit opioids and are outside treatment (i.e., methadone maintenance treatment). Empirical data suggest that illicit opioid users outside treatment are characterized by various health and social problem characteristics, including polydrug use, physical and mental morbidity, social marginalization, and crime. Although required for evidence-based programming, systematic information on this specific substance-user population is sparse in Canada to date. This article presents and compares key characteristics of population of illicit opioid users outside treatment in five cities across Canada (OPICAN cohort). Overall, the majority of OPICAN participants regularly used both a variety of illicit opioids and cocaine or crack, reported physical and mental health (e.g., mood disorder) problems, lacked permanent housing, were involved in crime, and had their "ideal" treatment not available to them. However, key local sample differences were shown, including patterns of heroin versus prescription opioid use and levels of additional cocaine versus crack use as well as indicators of social marginalization. Illicit opioid user population across Canada differ on key social, health, and drug use indicators that are crucial for interventions and are often demonstrated between larger and smaller city sites. Differentiated interventions are required. |
| Keywords | Adult; Infectious disease; Canada; Comorbidity; Dependence; Treatment; Health; Heroin use; Illicit opioid use; Polydrug use; Methadone treatment |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 420606. Social determinants of health |
| Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
| Byline Affiliations | University of Toronto, Canada |
| University of Montreal Hospital, Canada | |
| University of Montreal, Canada | |
| Foothills Hospital, Canada | |
| Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Canada | |
| BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Canada | |
| University of Alberta, Canada | |
| Responsible Gambling Council, Canada | |
| Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada |
Permalink -
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/z14y8/illicit-opioid-use-in-canada-comparing-social-health-and-drug-use-characteristics-of-untreated-users-in-five-cities-opican-study
26
total views0
total downloads1
views this month0
downloads this month
Export as
Related outputs
