@article{ref1,
title="Binge drug use among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting",
journal="Addiction research and theory",
year="2014",
author="Wood, Evan and Kerr, Thomas and Nguyen, Paul and Debeck, Kora and Nolan, Seonaid",
volume="22",
number="6",
pages="535-540",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Binge drug use has been associated with increased risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and other serious health-related harms among adult drug user populations. This study sought to determine the prevalence and correlates of binge drug use among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting. <br><br>METHODS: From September 2005 to May 2012, data were collected from the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), a prospective cohort of street-involved youth aged 14-26 years who use illicit drugs. Multivariate generalized estimating equation (GEE) logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with binge drug use. <br><br>RESULTS: Of the 987 participants included in this analysis, 41.5% reported binge drug use at baseline and another 59.1% reported binge drug use at some point during the study. In multivariate GEE analyses, older age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.11), homelessness (AOR = 1.67), drug injecting (AOR = 1.63), non-fatal overdose (AOR = 1.98), public injecting (AOR = 1.42), being a victim of violence (AOR = 1.38), sex work (AOR = 2.51) and participation in drug dealing (AOR = 2.04) were independently associated with binge drug use in the previous six months (all p < 0.05). <br><br>DISCUSSION: The prevalence of reporting binge drug use among the youth was high in this setting and was independently associated with a range of high-risk activities and markers of vulnerability. Querying high-risk youth about binge drug use may help prioritize those in greatest need of addiction treatment strategies and public health interventions.<p />",
language="en",
issn="1606-6359",
doi="10.3109/16066359.2014.926896",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/16066359.2014.926896"
}