Social determinants of drug use among older people with HIV/AIDS in Tehran

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Substance use is one of the most important health problems in the world, few studies have looked at the social determinants of substance use. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the social factors associated with drug use in older people with HIV/AIDS in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted during September to November 2018 in the city of Tehran, capital of Iran. The study population included 160 HIV-positive people with above 60 years of age. All variables of bivariate analysis in the p value of less than 0.2 were entered the logistic regression analysis to determine the adjusted effect and the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of drug use. Results: The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) of the participants was 65.6 ± 6.6 years. Of 160 older people diagnosed with HIV who participated in this study, 23.1% (CI95%: 16%, 29%) were reported to use drugs. In the final multivariable regression model, the men (AOR = 12.23, 95% CI 1.43–104.10 p < .01), married ones (AOR = 11.86, 95% CI 1.51–93.26 p < .01), those with incomes between $ 100–200 (AOR = 36.16, 95% CI 3.50–372.71 p < .01), those with incomes higher than $ 200 a month (AOR = 4.61, 95% CI 1.17–18.06 p < .01) and those who had imprisonment records (AOR = 10.19, 95% CI 3.10–33.52 p < .01) were reported to use more drugs. Conclusion: Our findings provide critical information for policymakers to allocate resources and develop approaches for the prevention and treatment of HIV in order to address the future needs of older drug addicts diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Based on our findings, it seems that appropriate interventions should be designed and directed to prisons and prisoners in order to reduce access to drugs or to isolate addicted detainees from non-addicts, and to provide psychological counseling for men and married people.