ISSN: 2329-6488
Violet Wanjihia
Kenya
Research Article
Assessment of Retrospective and Current Substance Use in Women Who Inject Drugs in Low-Income Urban Settings in Kenya
Author(s): Catherine Mwangi, Simon Karanja, John Gachohi, Violet Wanjihia and Zipporah NgâÂÂangâÂÂaCatherine Mwangi, Simon Karanja, John Gachohi, Violet Wanjihia and Zipporah Ngâangâa
Women who inject drugs (WWIDs) continue to experience challenges that accumulate their risk to HIV transmission and other co-morbidities. However, data that conceptually link diverse substance use dimensions in WWIDs are lacking particularly in developing countries. We assessed retrospective and current substance use among 306 WWIDs in low-income urban settings in Kenya using mixed methods. Descriptive analyses were performed on quantitative data while qualitative narratives revealed insights from quantitative findings. The mean age of the study participants was 17 (range 11, 30) years. Out of the 306 WWIDs 57% commenced with substance use by combining both licit and illicit drugs. Intimate sexual partners including spouses and casual sex partners introduced seventy-four percent of WWIDs to substance use. Majority of the WWIDs (39.9%) commenced with 2- way substance combination with b.. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/2329-6488.1000324