Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health

The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine (대한예방의학회)
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Analysis of a Targeted Intervention Programme on the Risk Behaviours of Injecting Drug Users in India: Evidence From the National Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance Survey

  • Sahu, Damodar (Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Medical Statistics) ;
  • Ranjan, Varsha (Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Medical Statistics) ;
  • Chandra, Nalini (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)) ;
  • Nair, Saritha (Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Medical Statistics) ;
  • Kumar, Anil (Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Medical Statistics) ;
  • Arumugam, Elangovan (Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Epidemiology) ;
  • Rao, Mendu Vishnu Vardhana (Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Medical Statistics)
  • Received : 2022.03.30
  • Accepted : 2022.06.27
  • Published : 2022.07.31
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Abstract

Objectives: This study provides insights on the impact of a targeted intervention (TI) programme on behaviour change among injecting drug users (IDUs) in India. Methods: This paper examined the data from the Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance 2014-2015 for IDUs in India. Logistic regression was performed to understand the factors (TI programme services) that affected injecting risk behaviours by adjusting for covariates. Propensity score matching was conducted to understand the impact of the TI programme on using new needles/syringes and sharing needles/syringes in the most recent injecting episode by accounting for the covariates that predicted receiving the intervention. Results: Participants who received new needles and syringes from peer educators or outreach workers were 1.3 times (adjusted odds ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 1.53) more likely to use new needles/syringes during most recent injecting episode than participants who did not receive needles/syringes. The matched-samples estimate (i.e., average treatment effect on treated) of using new needles in the most recent injecting episode showed a 2.8% (95% CI, 0.0 to 5.6) increase in the use of new needles and a 6.5% (95% CI, -9.7 to -3.3) decrease in needle sharing in the most recent injecting episode in participants who received new needles/syringes. There was a 2.2% (95% CI, -3.8 to -0.6) decrease in needle sharing in the most recent injecting episode among participants who were referred to other services (integrated counselling and testing centre, detox centres, etc.). Conclusions: The TI programme proved to be effective for behaviour change among IDUs, as substantiated by the use of new needles/syringes and sharing of needles/syringes.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) for providing the 2014-2015 IBBS data used in the analysis. The views or opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not of institutions.

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