van Dooren Kate, Kinner Stuart A, Hellard Margaret
Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
J Correct Health Care. 2014 Oct;20(4):280-91. doi: 10.1177/1078345814541536. Epub 2014 Aug 17.
Internationally, the prevalence of hepatitis C infection is higher among prisoners when compared to the general population, particularly among people who inject drugs. This study estimates the prevalence of, and compares the risk factors for, hepatitis C in young (< 25 years) and older (≥ 25 years) prisoners with a history of injection drug use. Participants were 677 sentenced prisoners in Queensland, Australia, with a lifetime history of injection drug use, recruited in the 6 weeks prior to release from custody. The prevalence of hepatitis C exposure was significantly lower in young prisoners than in older prisoners (20.7% vs. 29.4%, p = .03). Risk factors for hepatitis C varied between young and older prisoners. Young people who inject drugs and who have had shorter time at risk of hepatitis C exposure are an important target group for hepatitis C prevention efforts.
