Binge Drug Use among Street-Involved Youth in a Canadian Setting

Background: Binge drug use has been associated with increased risk of HIV infection and other serious health-related harms among adult drug user populations. This study sought to determine the prevalence and correlates of binge drug use among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting.

Methods: From Sept 2005 to May 2012, data were collected from the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), a prospective cohort of street-involved youth aged 14 - 26 who use illicit drugs. Multivariate generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used to identify factors associated with binge drug use.

Results: Of the 987 participants included in this analysis, 41.5% reported binge drug use at baseline, and another 59.1% reported binge drug use at some point during the study. In multivariate GEE analysis, older age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.11), homelessness (AOR = 1.67), drug injecting (AOR = 1.63), non-fatal overdose (AOR = 1.98), public injecting (AOR 1.42), being a victim of violence (AOR = 1.38), sex work (AOR = 2.51) and participation in drug dealing (AOR = 2.04) were independently associated with binge drug use in the previous 6 months (all p<0.05).

Discussion: The prevalence of reporting binge drug use among the youth was high in this setting and was independently associated with a range of high-risk activities and markers of vulnerability. Querying high-risk youth about binge drug use may help prioritize those in greatest need of addiction treatment strategies and public health interventions.