Use of harm reduction services and experience with overdoses: Survey report among Indigenous participants who inject drugs in Canada, 2017-2019: Infographic

Results from Indigenous participants in the Tracks survey of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Canada, Phase 4, 2017-2019

What is the Tracks survey of PWID?

• A behavioural and biological surveillance system that monitors the prevalence of HIV and hepatitis C as well as the associated risk behaviours among PWID in Canada^{Footnote *}
• 42.2% of survey participants identified as Indigenous

Key results among Indigenous participants (n=997)

Self-reported Indigeneity

• First Nations – 82.9%
• Métis – 14.9%
• Inuit – 2.2%

Housing in the past 6 months

• Stable – 33.8%
• Unstable – 66.2%

Ever incarcerated

• Yes – 75.2%
• No – 24.8%

Experienced childhood physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse

• 87.5%
  • 90.0% among cisgender females
  • 85.3% among cisgender males

Experienced sexual partner physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse

• 78.6%
  • 87.2% among cisgender females
  • 71.1% among cisgender males

Age at first injection

• < 16 years of age – 13.6%
• 16-24 years of age – 44.3%
• 25-39 years of age – 33.3%
• 40+ years of age – 8.8%

Top 5 injection drugs used in the past 6 months

• Stimulant
  • Cocaine – 58.2%
  • Methamphetamine – 55.5%
• Opioid
  • Morphine – 49.7%
  • Hydromorphone – 43.8%
  • Heroin – 30.4%

Daily injecting in the past month

• No – 59.5%
• Yes – 40.5%

Injecting in a public space

• 53.5% reported injecting in a public space in the past 6 months
• 93.1% used a sterile needle and syringe at last injection

Used borrowed needles and/or syringes in the past 6 months

• Yes – 10%
• No – 90%

Borrowed used needles and/or syringes from:

• Regular sex partner(s) – 59.6%
• Friends or people they know – 40.4%
• Family – 17.0%
• People not well known – 11.7%
• People not known at all – 8.5%

1 in 5 overdosed in the past 6 months

Top 3 drugs or substances used at last overdose

• Fentanyl – 42.7%
• Heroin – 41.6%
• Methamphetamine – 30.7%

Overdose kits

• 83.3% had ever heard of overdose kits

  Of whom:

  • 91.1% had overdose kits available in their community
  • 33.8% carried an overdose kit
  • 25.7% had ever used an overdose kit

Acknowledgements

This infographic was made through a collaboration between the Communities, Alliances And Networks (CAAN) and the Public Health Agency of Canada. The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of survey participants, the sentinel site teams and the site principal investigators (who worked with regional and local health authorities, researchers and community organizations) and the National Microbiology Laboratory. We would also like to thank the Writing Team: Meghan Sullivan, Donna Bush, Christian Hui, Melissa Morris, Tami Starlight, Renée Mashing, Leigh Jonah, and Jill Tarasuk. Many thanks to Matthew Bonn and Nelson Hollinger for their review of the infographic.