Drug Abuse Pattern and Risk Taking Behaviors among Drug Abusers in Dharan, Nepal - Abstract
Background: Drug abuse is a serious and global health problem, causing significant morbidity, mortality, and adverse social and economic effects. The deleterious consequences of drug abuse are related not only to drugs themselves but also to the related risk taking behaviors, particularly sexual and injecting behaviors which can lead to other major health problems such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B.
Objectives: This study describes the pattern of drugs of abuse, sex-related behaviors, and injecting practices among drug abusers in Dharan municipality, Eastern
Nepal.
Methods: A total of 291 drug abusers were interviewed using friendship snowball sampling method with personal and household contacts.
Results: The average age at drug initiation was 17.1 years. Marijuana appeared to be the major gateway substance in more than half of the respondents. Age group, caste/ethnicity and occupation were significant associates with injecting practice. More than 22% of intravenous drug abusers were injecting through dangerous routes, such as femoral and neck veins. Half of the drug abusers who visited commercial sex workers did not use condom. Almost half of respondents had never been tested for HIV.
Conclusions: To tackle this situation, there is an urgent need for intervention programs, including harm reduction strategies to address these high risk behaviors and practices.