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Table 1 Comparison between heroin-cannabis smokers and IV heroin users at baseline

From: Smoking heroin with cannabis versus injecting heroin: unexpected impact on treatment outcomes

Characteristic

Smokers (n = 211) (%)

IV users (n = 89) (%)

p value

Median age at enrolment (years) (IOR)

27 (24–30)

25 (22–28)

0.01

Gender

 Male

179 (84.8)

77 (86.5)

0.86

 Female

32 (15.2)

12 (13.5)

Years of schooling

 Up to 9 years

27 (12.8)

16 (18.0)

0.34

 10–11 years

115 (55.4)

52 (58.4)

 Completed high school

38 (18.0)

10 (11.2)

Employment status

 Employed (including informal employment)

114 (54.0)

48 (53.9)

> 0.99

 Unemployed

95 (45.0)

40(44.9)

 Scholar

2 (0.9)

1 (1.1)

 Median age at first heroin use (years) (IQR)

20 (17–23)

18 (16–20)

0.001

Past month substance use

 Heroin

211 (100.0)

89 (100.0)

-

 Cannabis

210 (95.5)

89 (55.1)

< 0.0001

 Alcohol

38 (18.0)

11 (12.4)

0.30

 Crystalmetamphetamine

35 (16.6)

23 (25.8)

0.08

 Crack-cocaine

59 (28.0)

19 (21.3)

0.25

 Methaqualone

38 (18.0)

17 (19.1)

0.87

 Tobacco

208 (98.6

89 (100.0)

0.56

 Median Q score heroin (IQR)

7.5 (4.5–10)

6 (4.5–9)

0.14

 3 or more substances used (past month)

121 (57.3)

41 (46.1)

< 0.0001

Psychiatric comorbidities

 Major depressive episode (past)

74 (35.1)

28 (31.5)

0.59

 Generalised anxiety disorder

60 (28.4)

18 (20.2)

0.15

 Post-traumatic stress disorder

41 (19.4)

12 (13.5)

0.25

 Any mental illness (excl ASPD*)

112 (53.1)

36 (40.4)

0.06

 Median social functioning total score (IQR)

27 (23–31)

27 (22–31)

0.85

 Median criminality total score (IQR)

4 (1–6)

4 (2–7)

0.01

 Median general health total score (IQR)

20 (15–24)

20 (15–24)

0.87

 HIV positive

21 (13.2)

23 (31.1)

0.002

  1. *Antisocial personality disorder. p values in italics are significant