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Substance use in an inner-city family planning population
T S Harwell1, M R Spence, A Sands
1Division of Community Health, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
Objective:
To determine the prevalence of drug and alcohol use in an inner-city family planning population and to identify variables associated with a positive urine screen.
Study Design:
We conducted blind urine drug and alcohol screening in 309 women attending an inner-city hospital family planning clinic.
Results:
The prevalence of a positive urine drug and/or alcohol screen was 15.5% (48/309). Specific substance positivity rates were: marijuana 9.4%, cocaine 4.9%, alcohol 1.3%, benzodiazepines 1.0%, opiates 1.0% and amphetamines 0.3%. After controlling for other independent variables, increased age was the only predictor of having a positive drug and/or alcohol screen, while increased age and a history of a sexually transmitted disease predicted the use of drugs other than marijuana or alcohol alone.
Conclusions:
Our findings support the concept that substance use histories and urine drug screening should be considered in patients seeking family planning services. This strategy can lead to counseling and treatment for a population seeking preventive care that might otherwise not be identified.