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Perception of Hepatitis C Risk among Injecting Drug Users Who Obtain Injecting Equipment from Pharmacies in Western Australia

This study describes perceptions of hepatitis C (HCV) risk among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Western Australia (WA), and seeks to determine the relationship between perceptions of risk and injecting equipment sharing practices. One hundred and forty five participants recruited from 30 high-distributing pharmacies throughout WA completed surveys during a two-week period. Respondents reported that they did not see themselves as highly susceptible to HCV and did not believe HCV was a severe condition. Forty-three percent of respondents reported sharing injecting equipment in the past month. In multivariate analysis, sharing injecting equipment was associated with lower self-efficacy for sterile equipment use, being unemployed, and being male. These findings suggest that high self-efficacy protects against sharing injecting equipment with others. Psychosocial factors warrant close scrutiny and attention in future research and HCV prevention programs for PWID.