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Table 1 Sample characteristics among people who inject drugs in San Francisco, for total sample (N = 702) and subjects reporting past 24 h pain (n = 335)

From: Physical pain is common and associated with nonmedical prescription opioid use among people who inject drugs

Characteristic

Pain past 24 h n (%)

Total sample n (%)

P-value

Mean age (range)

46.6 (19–69)

45.1 (18–69)

<0.001***

Sex

 Female

74 (22.1%)

147 (20.9%)

0.48

 Male

261 (77.9%)

555 (79.1%)

 

Race

 White

179 (53.4%)

379 (54.0%)

0.91

 Black

86 (25.7%)

181 (25.8%)

 

 Hispanic

20 (6.0%)

46 (6.6%)

 

 Other

48 (14.3%)

91 (13.0%)

 

  Missing

2 (0.6%)

5 (0.7%)

 

Homeless

208 (62.1%)

442 (63.0%)

0.65

Graduated from high school/got a GED

250 (74.6%)

509 (72.5%)

0.23

Ever diagnosed with a psychiatric illness*

207 (61.8%)

396 (56.4%)

0.01*

Health care need for an acute, chronic or dental problem in the past 6 months*

 No need

43 (12.8%)

122 (17.4%)

<0.01*

 Met healthcare need

94 (28.1%)

204 (29.1%)

 

 Unmet healthcare need

198 (59.1%)

376 (53.6%)

 

NMPOU past 24 h

53 (15.8%)

103 (14.7%)

0.41

NMPOU (except methadone and buprenorphine) past 24 h

50 (14.9%)

89 (12.7%)

0.09

Non-medical use of tranquilizers/sedatives past 24 h

23 (6.9%)

43 (6.1%)

0.44

Non-medical use of prescription stimulants past 24 h

2 (0.6%)

6 (0.9%)

0.48

Non-medical use of Methadone past 24 h

9 (2.7%)

23 (3.3%)

0.40

Non-medical use of buprenorphine/Suboxone past 24 h

0

1 (0.1%)

NA

Non-medical use of Phenergan past 24 h

3 (0.9%)

4 (0.6%)

0.27

Used Speedball (heroin/cocaine or heroin/crack) past 24 h

21 (6.3%)

42 (6.0%)

0.76

Used Goofball (heroin/methamphetamine) past 24 h

24 (7.2%)

40 (5.7%)

0.11

Used Crack or Rock Cocaine past 24 h

66 (19.7%)

139 (19.8%)

0.95

Used Powder Cocaine past 24 h

6 (1.8%)

15 (2.1%)

0.55

Used Methamphetamine past 24 h

92 (27.5%)

194 (27.6%)

0.92

Used Heroin past 24 h

80 (23.9%)

173 (24.6%)

0.65

Used Marijuana for non-medical reasons past 24 h

124 (37.0%)

258 (36.8%)

0.89

Used any type of street heroin past 24 h

93 (27.8%)

194 (27.6%)

0.94

  1. P-value calculated with Pearson’s Chi-square test for all variables except age, where Student’s T-test was used
  2. *p < 0.05
  3. ***p < 0.001