Abstract
The use of behavioural self-reports of drug users is widespread among studies of illicit drug use. Despite widespread use, concerns about the accuracy of these reports continue to be raised. The current paper critically reviews the literature on the reliability and validity of self-reported drug use, criminality and HIV risk-taking among injecting drug users. The literature shows respectable reliability and validity of self-reported behaviours when compared to biomarkers, criminal records and collateral interviews. It concludes that the self-reports of drug users are sufficiently reliable and valid to provide descriptions of drug use, drug-related problems and the natural history of drug use.
Highlights
One important public health issue associated with opioid use today is the risk of hepatitis C (HCV) infection
We evaluated Hepatitis C virus (HCV) risk practices related to other skin penetration practices in the previous month using the BBV-TRAQ questionnaire
Among the 176 individuals enrolled in the study and who had available data about HCV risk practices, 15% were female and the median (IQR) age was 32 (27-38) years
Summary
One important public health issue associated with opioid use today is the risk of hepatitis C (HCV) infection. Among PWID, the prevalence of HCV infection may be very high [4] and this is the result of the current lack of availability of a combined package of prompt preventive interventions at a national level [5] and of individual risk factors. This explains why HCV prevalence varies so greatly, and is independent of the prevalence of drug use. One study has shown that HCV-positive patients are unaware of the risk of certain routes of transmission, such as the sharing of personal items including toothbrushes, razors and nail scissors [11]
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