Estimating the number of methamphetamine users in Sydney, Australia

NDARC Staff

Rebecca McKetin, Jennifer McLaren and Stuart Gilmour

Other Investigators

Matthew Hickman (Imperial College London); Devon Indig (NSW Health); and Matthew Law (National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research)

Rationale

This project was a collaboration between researchers at NDARC and Imperial College, London, which was supported by a University of New South Wales John Yu Fellowship to Europe. The aim of this project was to develop techniques to estimate the number of dependent stimulant users (particularly methamphetamine users).

Traditionally, methods used to estimate the number of dependent or injecting drug users have been applied to heroin users. However, Australia has a substantial and growing population of dependent methamphetamine users. Estimates of the size of this population are crucial to planning services and estimating the coverage of services, however, prior to this study no robust estimates existed. This project aimed to explore the feasibility of different prevalence estimation techniques in the context of dependent stimulant use and pilot these techniques in Australia.

Output

The contribution of dependent methamphetamine use to the health and social consequences associated with illicit drug use in Australia cannot be ignored. This population will generate a substantial number of hospital presentations for methamphetamine-psychosis that will adversely affect emergency medical and mental health services. Dependent methamphetamine users also reflect a large pool of injecting drug users, who are at risk of contracting and transmitting HIV and other blood borne viruses.

The following report has been written:

McKetin, R., McLaren, J., Kelly, E., Hall, W., & Hickman, M. (2005). Estimating the number of regular and dependent methamphetamine users in Australia. Technical Report No. 230. Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

Funding

UNSW John Yu Fellowship and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing