Abstract
BackgroundIllegal drug use and related problems have been emerging as an important public health issue in Taiwan. Via the capture-recapture approach, the present study aimed to offer insights into the size of heroin and methamphetamine male user population in the northern Taiwan during the period from 1999 to 2002.MethodsAnnual lists of male subjects were collated from both judiciary and medical systems in Taoyuan County, Taiwan. A total of 2809, 2486, 1661, and 1440 local male illegal drug users aged 15 to 54 years were identified in Taoyuan County from 1999 to 2002, respectively.ResultsAn estimated number of 16192, 14532, 16844, and 11783 local male methamphetamine or heroin users were found in each of the four consecutive years in the region. From 1999 to 2002, the annual prevalence rate for heroin use was 0.27% (95% CI = 0.20%, 0.38%), 0.33% (95% CI = 0.25%, 0.44%), 0.63% (95% CI = 0.44%, 0.92%), and 0.72% (95% CI = 0.54%, 0.97%), respectively, suggesting a trend of significant increase (chi-square for linear trend = 1677.76, d.f. = 3, p < 0.0001). In contrast, a decreasing trend was found for methamphetamine (2.38%, 1.91%, 2.47%, and 1.24%), with a modest rebound in 2001. The prevalence rates of illegal drug use for male residents in Taoyuan County were approximately 2–3% during this period, and the scale of problem shows no sign of diminution.ConclusionBy taking advantage of existing datasets that were incomplete by each alone, the approach of capture-recapture model may be ultimately considered as a tool to estimate the scale of illegal drug use problems. The population of heroin-using males apparently is stably expanding in the northern part of Taiwan in the first years of 21st century.
Highlights
Illegal drug use and related problems have been emerging as an important public health issue in Taiwan
A number of developed countries have invested enormously in establishing monitoring systems to investigate the size of illegal drug use problems and related consequences over time [1,4,5,6,7,8], which is of great value for assessing the need for treatment, devising evidence-based clinical protocols, planning the distribution and delivery of health care, and developing preventive programs associated with addiction [5,6]
The aims of the present study were to estimate the numbers of heroin and methamphetamine-using males in northern Taiwan over time during the period from 1999 to 2002, and to examine the prevalence rates of heroin and methamphetamine use in Taoyuan County over the same study period
Summary
A number of developed countries have invested enormously in establishing monitoring systems to investigate the size of illegal drug use problems and related consequences over time [1,4,5,6,7,8], which is of great value for assessing the need for treatment, devising evidence-based clinical protocols, planning the distribution and delivery of health care, and developing preventive programs associated with addiction [5,6]. These studies relied primarily on selfreport and, were likely to be underestimated [26]
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have