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[Preprint]. 2024 May 22:2024.05.21.24307696.
doi: 10.1101/2024.05.21.24307696.

Safe Injection Self-Efficacy is associated with HCV and HIV seropositivity among people who inject drugs in the San Diego-Tijuana border region

Katie Bailey  1   2 , Daniela Abramovitz  1 , Gudelia Rangel  3   4 , Alicia Harvey-Vera  1 , Carlos F Vera  1 , Thomas L Patterson  5 , Jaime Arredondo Sánchez-Lira  6 , Peter J Davidson  1 , Richard S Garfein  7 , Laramie R Smith  1 , Eileen V Pitpitan  1   2 , Shira M Goldenberg  8 , Steffanie A Strathdee  1
Affiliations

Safe Injection Self-Efficacy is associated with HCV and HIV seropositivity among people who inject drugs in the San Diego-Tijuana border region

Katie Bailey et al. medRxiv. .

Update in

Abstract

Background: Safe injection self-efficacy (SISE) is negatively associated with injection risk behaviors among people who inject drugs (PWID) but has not been examined in differing risk environments. We compared responses to a validated SISE scale between PWID in San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico, and examine correlates of SISE among PWID in Tijuana.

Methods: PWID were recruited via street outreach for a longitudinal cohort study from October 2020 - September 2021. We compared SISE scale items by city. Due to low variability in SISE scores among San Diego residents, we restricted analysis of factors associated with SISE to Tijuana residents and identified correlates of SISE scores (low, medium, high) using ordinal logistic regression.

Results: Of 474 participants, most were male (74%), Latinx (78%) and Tijuana residents (73%). Mean age was 44. Mean SISE scores among San Diego residents were high (3.46 of 4 maximum) relative to Tijuana residents (mean: 1.93). Among Tijuana residents, White race and having previously resided in San Diego were associated with higher SISE scores. HCV and HIV seropositivity, homelessness, fentanyl use, polysubstance co-injection, and greater injection frequency were associated with lower SISE scores.

Conclusions: We found profound inequalities between Tijuana and San Diego SISE, likely attributable to differential risk environments. Associations with fentanyl and polysubstance co-injection, injection frequency, and both HIV and HCV seropositivity suggest that SISE contribute to blood-borne infection transmission risks in Tijuana. SISE reflects an actionable intervention target to reduce injection risk behaviors, but structural interventions are required to intervene upon the risk environment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Statements and Declarations: Authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Application of Social Cognitive Theory to assess associations between Safe Injection Self-Efficacy and other cognitive, behavioral, environmental, and health factors
Notes: aSSP = Syringe services program bTx = Treatment cHCV = Hepatitis C Virus dHIV = Human immunodeficiency virus
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Participant responses to Safe Injection Self-Efficacy questions among a cohort of people who inject drugs in San Diego, California and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, December 2021 - December 2022a
aResponses refer to prior six months
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Safe Injection Self-Efficacy (SISE) mean scores by city of residence
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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