Terminology for drug injection practices among intravenous drug users in Baltimore

Terms for four discrete drug injection practices were obtained by presenting photographs and a brief description of practices to intravenous drug users who enrolled in a longitudinal study of HIV infection in Baltimore. The 2,921 respondents were predominantly male (81%) and Black (90%), the median age was 34 years (range: 18-68 years), and the median duration of intravenous drug use was 13 years (range 0-50 years). Forty-six different terms were used to characterize direct injection into a vein, 51 for the practice of repeatedly withdrawing and reinjecting one's own blood following injection of drug, 39 for subcutaneous injection, and 45 for transferring drug between different syringes. Terms tended to cluster by race and duration of drug use. These data indicate substantial variation in terminology for drug injection practices. Further, they augment prior research showing that photographs may be used as a useful aid in survey research on drug experiences in the population.