STREET YOUTH'S INTENTION TO AVOID STARTING DRUG INJECTING

Gaston Godin¹, Élise Roy ^2,3, Nancy Haley^2,4, Hélène Gagnon¹, Léo-Daniel Lambert¹, Pascale Leclerc^2
1Research Group on Behaviours in the Field of Health, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec; ²Montreal Regional Public Health Department, Montreal, Quebec; ³McGill University, Montreal, Quebec; ⁴Sainte-Justine Hospital, Montreal, Quebec

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the factors explaining the intention to avoid starting drug injecting among street youth.
Methods: A prospective cohort study of street youth aged 14 to 23 years was initiated in Montreal in July 2001. Street youth are recruited in community organisations on an ongoing basis and followed-up every six months. Respondents who have never injected drugs are asked to complete an interviewer-administered questionnaire assessing psychosocial determinants of initiation into injection drug use based on Triandis's theory and additional theoretical variables. Data from the baseline questionnaire were used to identify the factors explaining the intention to avoid starting drug injecting.
Results: As of May 2002, 179 street youths (female: 59; male: 120) not injecting drugs had been recruited (mean age : 20.1 years (± 2.19)). Overall, 146 respondents did not intend at all to start injecting drugs (high intention: score of 1 on the 5-point scale), whereas 33 were less assertive in their intention (low intention: score greater than 1 on the 5-point scale). Logistic regression of intention on predictive variables (psychosocial, sociodemographic, etc) yielded a model with normative beliefs (OR : 11.8, CI95% : 2.8,49.1), self-efficacy (OR : 5.2, CI95% : 1.7,15.6), anticipated regret (OR : 4.9, CI95% : 1.8,12.8) and perceived behavioural control (OR : 4.8, CI95% : 1.8,12.5) as significant predictors.
Conclusions: The results suggest that several social cognitive variables play an important role in determining youth decision to not start injecting drugs. In particular, the perceived social norm and control (belief-based and global) over this behaviour are key elements. The prospective design of this study will allow to verify the temporal relationship of these associations. This information should be used for designing interventions aimed at the prevention of starting drug injecting.

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