Investigating and addressing injection drug use and other harms among street-involved youth: The ARYS Project

This research will address the urgent challenge of illicit drug use among street-involved youth. By studying a large group of street-involved youth in Vancouver, we will acquire the evidence-based information necessary to inform appropriate responses to this health crisis locally, nationally and internationally. Specifically, the project will examine patterns of illicit drug use and the risk environment in which they are used, and evaluate their effects on initiation of injection drug use, sexual risk behaviour, and incidence of hepatitis C and HIV among a cohort of 500 street-involved youth from 14 to 24 years of age. The study will investigate not only individual circumstances but also social, structural and environmental influences on risk behaviour. For instance, the study will assess specific factors such as homelessness and sex-trade involvement on sexual and drug risk-taking and infectious disease incidence, with the aim of informing pragmatic intervention strategies. The study will be carried out by inviting youth to conduct a standardized survey every six months for five years. The knowledge gained through this research should prove useful in guiding HIV and hepatitis C prevention measures, as well as initiatives to prevent the initiation of injection drug use among youth. Street youth represent one of the most vulnerable populations in Canada, and research to determine how to reduce harm among this population will be of benefit to all Canadians.