Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring Survey of People Who Inject Drugs (PWID)

• Aims and Objectives
• Methodology
• Survey Data Tables

Aims and Objectives

The Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring Survey of HIV and Hepatitis in people who inject drugs (PWID) aims to measure the changing prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C in PWID who are in contact with specialist drug agencies (e.g. needle exchange services and treatment centres). The programme also monitors levels of risk and protective behaviours among PWID. The data are used to assess and develop appropriate preventative and health education campaigns, evaluate the impact of such interventions, and to assist in the provision of services for PWID in the United Kingdom.

Methodology

Survey data have been collected on an annual basis since the survey was established in 1990. The Health Protection Agency works in partnership with over 60 specialist drug agencies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to gather the survey data, and provides full training, survey materials, and feedback to each collaborating agency involved. Each year, the agencies are encouraged to ask all eligible clients to participate in the survey - an eligible client being a current or former injecting drug user who has not already participated in the survey in the current calendar year. Each eligible client is asked to complete a short questionnaire and to provide a dried blood spot sample. Identifying information is irreversibly unlinked from all samples before testing, ensuring that both the sample and the questionnaire are completely anonymous. Samples are tested for the presence of antibodies to HIV (signalling current infection), and antibodies to Hepatitis C and to the Hepatitis B core antigen (which can indicate current or previous infection).

In the questionnaire, participants are asked to provide information regarding their HIV diagnosis status (if known), their patterns of drug use (including treatment for drug addiction and participation in needle exchange services) and their sexual behaviour. This information is used to assess the association between risky activities (such as needle sharing) and the prevalence of HIV and hepatitis C among PWID.

UAM Survey of PWID Survey Data Tables

The following file contains the most recent data tables for Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring Survey of People Who Inject Drugs. These tables present the data from the survey for the period 2000 to 2010.

• Data tables - Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring Survey of Injecting Drug Users: data to the end of 2010 (July 2011) (PDF, 2.1 MB)

A summary report on the data is available in the HPA's Health Protection Report.

Past UAM Survey of IDUs data sets:

The following files contain previous year's data sets:

UAM Survey of IDUs Data Tables

• Data tables - Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring Survey of Injecting Drug Users: data to the end of 2009. (July 2010) (PDF, 2.3 MB)

UAM Survey of IDUs Supplementary Data Set

• Data tables - Unlinked Anonymous (UA) Prevalence Monitoring Programme of Injecting Drug Users: data to the end of 2008. (October 2009) (PDF, 79 KB)
• Data tables - Unlinked Anonymous (UA) Prevalence Monitoring Programme of Injecting Drug Users: data to the end of 2007. (October 2008) (PDF, 78 KB)
• Data tables - Unlinked Anonymous (UA) Prevalence Monitoring Programme of Injecting Drug Users: data to the end of 2006. (November 2007) (PDF, 79 KB)
• Data tables - Unlinked Anonymous (UA) Prevalence Monitoring Programme of Injecting Drug Users: data to the end of 2005. (November 2006) (PDF, 177 KB)
• Data tables - Unlinked Anonymous (UA) Prevalence Monitoring Programme of Injecting Drug Users: data to the end of 2004. (November 2005) (PDF, 171 KB)

Last reviewed: 27 October 2011