Abstract
In Colombia, there are no specific studies on the prevalence of heroin use. This paper reviews the patterns of substance use in a consumer group in the city of Medellín and its metropolitan area, showing that consumption is becoming a threat to public health due to the particular forms of consumption, among which risk practices are included. To evaluate the use of heroin in the city of Medellín and its metropolitan area. The study took a mixed approach using multiple-case study to cover each of the variables and categories proposed; 42 heroin users of treatment centers in the city of Medellín and its metropolitan area were accessed between July and September 2008, using the "snowball", technique. Information was collected by a structured, face to face interview, asking about the type of heroin consumed, routes of administration, frequency of consumption, equipment used, consumption practices and rituals that accompany these practices. Quantitative data were analyzed using the EPI-Info statistical package 2,000 and Atlas ti qualitative, version 5.5, for Windows. Consumers were predominantly male, single, aged between 18 and 23 years, childless and many had not completed college. Most respondents were in the middle socioeconomic stratum, had a family history of psychoactive substance use and had started heroin use between 15 and 17 years. There are special forms to name heroine, consumers, and rituals to consume the substance. The article gives details of the heroin consumed, the paraphernalia and associated practices. The use of heroin is an emerging reality in Colombia. Qualitative-quantitative studies are necessary to allow us to acknowledge and understand more about this phenomenon in order to decrease the impact on public health.
Highlights
In Colombia, there are no specific studies on the prevalence of heroin use
The purpose of the study is to describe and analyze the heroin consumption patterns in a sample of consumers in Medellin and its Metropolitan Area, in order to show the risk of consumption practices, propose prevention alternatives and motivate other researchers to carry on with studies and contribute to the knowledge of this issue in Latin America; for heroin is being produced and consumed in Colombia and there is a high risk that it will extend to other countries of the region
In Colombia, there is only one previous research project on characteristics of heroin consumers and consumption, it is the one done by Pérez Gómez (14)
Summary
This paper reviews the patterns of substance use in a consumer group in the city of Medellín and its metropolitan area, showing that consumption is becoming a threat to public health due to the particular forms of consumption, among which risk practices are included. Este artículo evalúa los patrones de consumo de esta sustancia en un grupo de consumidores de la ciudad de Medellín y su área metropolitana, evidenciándose que el consumo empieza a ser una amenaza para la salud pública por las particulares formas de consumo, entre las que se incluyen prácticas de riesgo. Se accedió a 42 consumidores de heroína de centros de tratamiento de la ciudad de Medellín y área metropolitana mediante la técnica de “bola de nieve”, proceso que se realizó entre los meses de julio y septiembre de 2008. Es necesario ahondar en estudios cuanti-cualitativos que nos permitan conocer y comprender más este fenómeno con el fin de disminuir su impacto en la salud pública
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have