Health disparities and injection drug use behaviors among adults with and without disabilities in the National Survey on drug use and health, 2015–2019

Abstract

Background

Little is known about the prevalence of injection drug use in people with disabilities (PWD) when compared by disability type and to other adults without disabilities.

Objective or hypothesis

The prevalence of past-year injection drug use will be higher in adults with a reported disability than adults without any reported disability.

Methods

This study consisted of secondary analyses of data from the 2015–2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health. The analytic sample comprised 214,505 US adults. Self-reported past-year injection drug use represented the outcome of interest. Disability status and socioeconomic characteristics were conceptualized as predictors, and sex and age were used as controls.

Results

Past-year prevalence of self-reported injection drug use was 0.24 % (95 % CI, 0.22–0.27) in adults without a disability but 0.66 % (95 % CI, 0.59–0.73) in adults with a disability. All disability types examined were associated with increased odds of reporting past-year injection drug use, but the strongest association was observed for disability related to difficulty concentrating (AOR, 4.90; 95 % CI, 3.92–6.14). Adjusted odds of past-year methamphetamine injection were more than three times as high in adults with a disability, compared to those without a disability (AOR, 3.21; 95 % CI, 2.37–4.33) and more than two times as high in adults with a disability for cocaine injection (AOR, 2.77; 95 % CI, 1.84–4.15).

Conclusion

Disability status is associated with injection of various types of drugs, and a variety of disability types are associated with higher odds of injection drug use.