- Patterns of Health-related Quality of Life in Men Who Inject Drugs: A Survey in Southeast Iran
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Marzieh Nojomi, Maysam Rezapour, Neda Soleimanvandi Azar, Mehdi Darabi, Mehran Asadi-Aliabadi
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J Prev Med Public Health. 2024;57(2):148-156. Published online February 23, 2024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.23.379
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 Abstract
Summary
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- Objectives
Understanding patterns of quality of life in people who inject drugs (PWID) can help healthcare providers plan and manage their health problems in a more focused manner. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify patterns of health-related quality of life in PWID in southeast Iran.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted in southeast Iran on men who had injected drugs at least once during the last year. We used convenience sampling in 2 drop-in centers and venue-based sampling at 85 venues. Demographic characteristics, high-risk behaviors, and health-related quality of life were evaluated using the 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire. Latent profile analysis was used to identify patterns of quality of life.
Results
This study enrolled 398 PWID, who had a mean age of 34.1±11.4 years. About 47.9% reported a prison history in the last 10 years, 59.2% had injected drugs in the last month, and 31.6% had a history of sharing syringes. About 46.3% reported having 2 or more sexual partners in the last 6 months, and 14.7% had a history of sex with men. Out of the 5 EQ-5D-5L profiles, the fifth profile had the most people (36.6%). Most variations in quality of life were related to pain and discomfort.
Conclusions
We showed that the pain and discomfort dimension of EQ-5D-5L had more variation in PWID. This finding will be useful for allocating appropriate interventions and resources to promote health-related quality of life in this population.
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Summary
Key Message
People who Inject drugs, as an at-risk population in physical and mental disorders, need support
to reduce harm. This study found that the health-related quality of life of these people is affected
more by the pain and discomfort dimension. This can be caused by their social exclusion and
marginalization. Hence, regular planning is necessary to organize the health status of these
people. Due to the hard-to-reach nature of this population, special arrangements such as utilizing
peer groups may be effective to provide them with services.
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