Department of Sociology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada.
British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 400-1045 Howe St., Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 22;19(16):10456. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191610456.
The Assessing Economic Transitions (ASSET) study was established to identify relationships between economic engagement, health and well-being in inner-city populations given that research in this area is currently underdeveloped. This paper describes the objectives, design, and characteristics of the ASSET study cohort, an open prospective cohort which aims to provide data on opportunities for addressing economic engagement in an inner-city drug-using population in Vancouver, Canada. Participants complete interviewer-administered surveys quarterly. A subset of participants complete nested semi-structured qualitative interviews semi-annually. Between April 2019 and May 2022, the study enrolled 257 participants ages 19 years or older (median age: 51; 40% Indigenous, 11.6% non-Indigenous people of colour; 39% cis-gender women, 3.9% transgender, genderqueer, or two-spirit) and 41 qualitative participants. At baseline, all participants reported past daily drug use, with 27% currently using opioids daily, and 20% currently using stimulants daily. In the three months prior to baseline, more participants undertook informal income generation (75%) than formal employment (50%). Employed participants largely had casual jobs (42%) or jobs with part-time/varied hours (35%). Nested qualitative studies will focus on how inner-city populations experience economic engagement. The resulting evidence will inform policy and programmatic initiatives to address socioeconomic drivers of health and well-being.
评估经济转型 (ASSET) 研究旨在确定经济参与、健康和幸福感之间的关系，因为该领域的研究目前还不够发达。本文介绍了 ASSET 研究队列的目标、设计和特征，这是一个开放的前瞻性队列，旨在为加拿大温哥华的城市吸毒人群提供解决经济参与机会的数据。参与者每季度完成一次访谈者管理的调查。一部分参与者每半年完成一次嵌套的半结构化定性访谈。在 2019 年 4 月至 2022 年 5 月期间，该研究招募了 257 名年龄在 19 岁及以上的参与者（中位数年龄：51 岁；40%为原住民，11.6%为非原住民有色人种；39%为顺性别女性，3.9%为跨性别、性别酷儿或双灵）和 41 名定性参与者。在基线时，所有参与者都报告过去每天都有药物使用，其中 27%目前每天使用阿片类药物，20%目前每天使用兴奋剂。在基线前的三个月内，更多的参与者从事非正式的收入生成（75%）而不是正式的就业（50%）。有工作的参与者主要从事临时工（42%）或兼职/不定时工作（35%）。嵌套的定性研究将重点关注城市内人群的经济参与体验。由此产生的证据将为解决健康和幸福感的社会经济驱动因素的政策和计划举措提供信息。
