Projects per year
Abstract
Introduction and Aims: Limited research has investigated methamphetamine use and related harms in rural and regional Australia. We investigated whether people who used methamphetamine in non-metropolitan Victoria differed in their sociodemographics and were more likely to be methamphetamine-dependent than those recruited in Melbourne. Design and Methods: We used baseline data from an ongoing prospective cohort study, ‘VMAX’. Participants were recruited from Melbourne and three non-metropolitan Victorian regions. Sequential multivariable logistic regression of nested models assessed unadjusted and adjusted associations between residential locations and methamphetamine dependence. Results: The sample mostly (77%) comprised people who used methamphetamine via non-injecting means (N = 744). Thirty-nine percent were female. Melbourne-based participants were less likely than non-metropolitan participants to identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, be heterosexual, have children and be unemployed. More frequent methamphetamine use (adjusted odds ratio 1.22, 95% confidence interval 1.12–1.34) and using crystal methamphetamine versus ‘speed’ powder (adjusted odds ratio 2.38, 95% confidence interval 1.26–3.64) were independently (P < 0.05) associated with being classified as methamphetamine-dependent. A significantly higher percentage of participants in every non-metropolitan region were classified as methamphetamine-dependent vs. those in Melbourne, but this relationship was attenuated when adjusting for methamphetamine use frequency and primary form used. Despite 65% of participants being classified as methamphetamine-dependent, less than half had recently (past year) accessed any professional support for methamphetamine, with minimal variation by recruitment location. Discussions and Conclusions: VMAX participants in non-metropolitan Victoria were more likely to be methamphetamine-dependent than those living in Melbourne. Unmet need for professional support appears to exist among people using methamphetamine across the state, regardless of geographical location.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1239-1248 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Drug and Alcohol Review |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2021 |
Keywords
- methamphetamine smoking
- prospective cohort study
- rural–urban
- substance use disorder
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Understanding the methamphetamine epidemic and its implications for service provision and harm reduction: The VicMeth cohort
Dietze, P., Hickman, M., Quinn, B., Jenkinson, R., Ward, B., Sutton, K. & Agius, P.
1/01/18 → 31/12/22
Project: Research