Lambert E Y, Caces M F
Community Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Rockville, MD 20857, USA.
Public Health Rep. 1995 Jul-Aug;110(4):455-61.
Sociodemographic correlates of drug use among the general household population may have less accuracy and utility for describing risk factors for drug use among non household populations like the homeless and transient. This analysis examines correlates of past year use of marijuana, cocaine, and needles among homeless and transient people in the Washington, DC, metropolitan statistical area (DC MSA) and discusses them vis-a-vis traditional indicators of drug use among the general household population. Data are from a study conducted in the DC MSA in 1991 that used a multistage sampling design and surveyed a random sample of 908 homeless and transient people ages 12 years and older. The analysis uses multiple logistic regression to assess the independent effect of demographic and other predictors on selected drug use measures among this population. Three key socioeconomic correlates of drug use among the general household population (educational attainment, employment status, and marital status) were nonsignificant predictors of drug use among the homeless. However, other factors were significant, including past year institutionalization, location within the DC MSA, and stage of homelessness. The age group at greatest risk for use of marijuana and cocaine in the past year were the homeless ages 26 to 34, but the oldest group (35 years and older) had the highest risk of needle use. Although men were more likely to have used marijuana and cocaine in the past year, there were no sex differences in the use of needles in the past year. Only past year use of cocaine differed significantly by race or ethnicity, with a greater likelihood among homeless blacks than among homeless whites. Measures of social achievement and socioeconomic status related to the prevalence and risks of drug use among the general household population have but limited applicability in predicting drug use among people who are homeless and transient. Along with other indicators of behavioral and health risks,history of institutionalization, urbanization, and chronicity of homelessness should be considered to improve the epidemiologic assessment of this population.
社会人口统计学因素与普通家庭人口吸毒之间的关联，对于描述无家可归者和流动人口等非家庭人口的吸毒风险因素，可能准确性和实用性较低。本分析研究了华盛顿特区大都市统计区（DC MSA）无家可归者和流动人口过去一年使用大麻、可卡因和针头的相关因素，并将其与普通家庭人口吸毒的传统指标进行对比讨论。数据来自1991年在DC MSA进行的一项研究，该研究采用多阶段抽样设计，对908名12岁及以上的无家可归者和流动人口进行了随机抽样调查。分析使用多元逻辑回归来评估人口统计学和其他预测因素对该人群选定吸毒指标的独立影响。普通家庭人口吸毒的三个关键社会经济相关因素（教育程度、就业状况和婚姻状况），并非无家可归者吸毒的显著预测因素。然而，其他因素具有显著性，包括过去一年的机构收容情况、在DC MSA内的位置以及无家可归的阶段。过去一年使用大麻和可卡因风险最高的年龄组是26至34岁的无家可归者，但年龄最大的组（35岁及以上）使用针头的风险最高。尽管男性在过去一年使用大麻和可卡因的可能性更大，但过去一年使用针头方面不存在性别差异。仅过去一年使用可卡因在种族或族裔方面存在显著差异，无家可归的黑人比无家可归的白人更有可能使用。与普通家庭人口吸毒流行率和风险相关的社会成就和社会经济地位指标，在预测无家可归者和流动人口吸毒方面适用性有限。连同行为和健康风险的其他指标一起，应考虑机构收容史、城市化程度和无家可归的长期性，以改善对该人群的流行病学评估。
