| Title |
Hepatitis C Virus Acquisition among Injecting Drug Users: A Cohort Analysis of a National Repeated Cross-sectional Survey of Needle and Syringe Program Attendees in Australia, 1995–2004
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Journal of Urban Health, November 2008
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s11524-008-9330-7 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Kathleen Falster, John M. Kaldor, Lisa Maher, on behalf of the collaboration of Australian Needle and Syringe Programs |
| Abstract |
High hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence has been documented among many injecting drug user (IDU) populations worldwide; however, there is limited published data on trends in incidence of infection in these epidemics over time. To address this, we used a novel method of analyzing data collected via repeat, cross-sectional sero-surveys by injection initiation cohorts to investigate trends in HCV seropositivity among a population of needle and syringe program (NSP) attendees in Australia between 1995 and 2004, and thereby infer annual incidence trends. Injection initiation cohorts were defined by their time of entry into the IDU population. We also investigated the associations between HCV antibody seroprevalence and risk factor data, and trends in risk factor data over the decade. Approximately 20,000 NSP attendees participated in the study over the 10-year period. Within each injection initiation cohort, we found an increase in HCV prevalence over time, with prevalence appearing to reach saturation around 90%. There was little indication that the slopes of increase had changed with more recent initiation cohorts. While duration of injecting was most strongly associated with HCV seropositivity in this study, we also found that self-reported history of needle and syringe sharing and imprisonment were independently associated with higher HCV prevalence regardless of duration of injecting, with the exception of IDUs who have 15 or more years injecting experience. In this group, recent risk behavior had no relationship to prevalence. In summary, our findings suggest a persistent HCV epidemic despite significant harm reduction efforts in Australia since the mid-1980s, with HIV incidence effectively constant in successive initiation cohorts. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 40 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 1 | 3% |
| Australia | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 38 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 8 | 20% |
| Researcher | 7 | 18% |
| Student > Bachelor | 5 | 13% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 4 | 10% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 2 | 5% |
| Other | 5 | 13% |
| Unknown | 9 | 23% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 14 | 35% |
| Social Sciences | 8 | 20% |
| Psychology | 4 | 10% |
| Business, Management and Accounting | 2 | 5% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 2 | 5% |
| Other | 0 | 0% |
| Unknown | 10 | 25% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 26 March 2012.
All research outputs
#7,461,241
of 22,811,321 outputs
Outputs from Journal of Urban Health
#731
of 1,286 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#32,546
of 92,567 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Journal of Urban Health
#4
of 7 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,811,321 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 44th percentile – i.e., 44% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,286 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 23.4. This one is in the 28th percentile – i.e., 28% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 92,567 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 18th percentile – i.e., 18% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 7 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has scored higher than 3 of them.