TY - JOUR
KW - Adult
KW - Boston
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Female
KW - Harm Reduction
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Massachusetts
KW - opioid-related disorders
KW - Substance Abuse, Intravenous
KW - Young Adult
KW - opioid epidemic
KW - substance use
AU - E. A. Noyes
AU - S. Dunleavy
AU - V. Mail
AU - I. Plakas
AU - S. Keyes
AU - J. M. Gaeta
AU - A. Obando
AU - E. Paci
AU - C. Lent
AU - C. Regis
AU - E. M. Taveras
AU - A. M. Yule
AU - A. Chatterjee
A1 - 
AB - OBJECTIVES: This study explores knowledge and utilization of, barriers to, and preferences for harm reduction services among street-involved young adults (YA) in Boston, Massachusetts. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey of YA encountered between November and December 2019 by a longstanding outreach program for street-involved YA. We report descriptive statistics on participant-reported substance use, knowledge and utilization of harm reduction strategies, barriers to harm reduction services and treatment, and preferences for harm reduction service delivery. RESULTS: The 52 YA surveyed were on average 21.4 years old; 63.5% were male, and 44.2% were Black. Participants reported high past-week marijuana (80.8%) and alcohol (51.9%) use, and 15.4% endorsed opioid use and using needles to inject drugs in the past six months. Fifteen (28.8%) YA had heard of "harm reduction", and 17.3% reported participating in harm reduction services. The most common barriers to substance use disorder treatment were waitlists and cost. Participants suggested that harm reduction programs offer peer support (59.6%) and provide a variety of services including pre-exposure prophylaxis (42.3%) and sexually transmitted infection testing (61.5%) at flexible times and in different languages, including Spanish (61.5%) and Portuguese (17.3%). CONCLUSIONS: There is need for comprehensive, YA-oriented harm reduction outreach geared toward marginalized YA and developed with YA input to reduce barriers, address gaps in awareness and knowledge of harm reduction, and make programs more relevant and inviting to YA.
AD - Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.; Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, NY, USA.; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.; Boston Health Care of the Homeless Program, Boston, MA, USA.; Boston Health Care of the Homeless Program, Boston, MA, USA.; Boston Health Care of the Homeless Program, Boston, MA, USA.; Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.; Boston Health Care of the Homeless Program, Boston, MA, USA.; Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Boston Health Care of the Homeless Program, Boston, MA, USA.; Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Boston, MA, USA.; Kraft Center for Community Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.; Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Kraft Center for Community Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.; Department of Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.; Boston Health Care of the Homeless Program, Boston, MA, USA.; Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
BT - Substance use & misuse
C5 - Financing & Sustainability; Healthcare Disparities; Opioids & Substance Use
CP - 5
CY - England
DO - 10.1080/10826084.2022.2040031
IS - 5
JF - Substance use & misuse
LA - eng
M1 - Journal Article
N2 - OBJECTIVES: This study explores knowledge and utilization of, barriers to, and preferences for harm reduction services among street-involved young adults (YA) in Boston, Massachusetts. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey of YA encountered between November and December 2019 by a longstanding outreach program for street-involved YA. We report descriptive statistics on participant-reported substance use, knowledge and utilization of harm reduction strategies, barriers to harm reduction services and treatment, and preferences for harm reduction service delivery. RESULTS: The 52 YA surveyed were on average 21.4 years old; 63.5% were male, and 44.2% were Black. Participants reported high past-week marijuana (80.8%) and alcohol (51.9%) use, and 15.4% endorsed opioid use and using needles to inject drugs in the past six months. Fifteen (28.8%) YA had heard of "harm reduction", and 17.3% reported participating in harm reduction services. The most common barriers to substance use disorder treatment were waitlists and cost. Participants suggested that harm reduction programs offer peer support (59.6%) and provide a variety of services including pre-exposure prophylaxis (42.3%) and sexually transmitted infection testing (61.5%) at flexible times and in different languages, including Spanish (61.5%) and Portuguese (17.3%). CONCLUSIONS: There is need for comprehensive, YA-oriented harm reduction outreach geared toward marginalized YA and developed with YA input to reduce barriers, address gaps in awareness and knowledge of harm reduction, and make programs more relevant and inviting to YA.
PP - England
PY - 2022
SN - 1532-2491; 1082-6084
SP - 827
EP - 832
EP - 
T1 - Awareness, Utilization, and Preferences of Harm Reduction Interventions among Street-Involved Young Adults in Boston
T2 - Substance use & misuse
TI - Awareness, Utilization, and Preferences of Harm Reduction Interventions among Street-Involved Young Adults in Boston
U1 - Financing & Sustainability; Healthcare Disparities; Opioids & Substance Use
U2 - 35195488
U3 - 10.1080/10826084.2022.2040031
VL - 57
VO - 1532-2491; 1082-6084
Y1 - 2022
ER -