Khezri Mehrdad, Karamouzian Mohammad, Sharifi Hamid, Ghalekhani Nima, Tavakoli Fatemeh, Mehmandoost Soheil, Mehrabi Fatemeh, Pedarzadeh Marjan, Nejat Mehdi, Noroozi Alireza, Baral Stefan, Shokoohi Mostafa
HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV, Surveillance Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV, Surveillance Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Int J Drug Policy. 2021 Nov;97:103355. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103355. Epub 2021 Jul 7.
BACKGROUND: Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) have not yet been integrated into Iran's harm reduction programs. This study aimed to report the extent to which people who inject drugs (PWID) in Iran are willing to use SIFs. METHODS: Participants were recruited from 11 major cities using respondent-driven sampling. Willingness to use SIFs was defined as a three-level categorical variable: low, moderate, or high. RESULTS: Of 2,490 PWID, 52.8% and 23.8% reported high and moderate willingness to use SIFs, respectively. PWID with a history of homelessness (relative-risk ratio (RRR): 2.22, 95% CI: 1.76-2.80), incarceration (1.86 [1.48-2.35]), hepatitis C infection (1.49 [1.13-1.97]), and non-fatal overdose (2.30 [1.69-3.13]) were more likely to be willing to utilize SIFs. Willingness to use SIFs was also higher among PWID who reported recent public injecting (2.24 [1.70-2.97]), daily injection (1.82 [1.35-2.45]), stimulants injection (2.39 [1.41-4.07]), syringe sharing (3.09 [1.23-7.74]), harm reduction services utilization (2.80 [2.13-3.68]), and food insecurity (8.28 [5.43-12.63]). CONCLUSION: The majority of PWID in Iran expressed willingness to use SIFs, in particular, those who were involved in higher-risk injection practices, dealing with structural risks, and had experienced drug-related harms. SIFs represent critical opportunities to deliver comprehensive harm reduction services to improve the health and well-being of PWID in Iran.
Harm Reduct J. 2023-10-7
Int J Drug Policy. 2017-12-10
Harm Reduct J. 2023-10-7
J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2023
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2023-2-1