| Characteristic | No. (%) of participants* n = 2913 | |
|---|---|---|
| Age, yr, mean ± SD | 42.5 ± 10.1 | |
| Female sex | 845 | (29.0) |
| Aboriginal ethnicity | 895 | (30.7) |
| Unstable housing† | 1801 | (61.8) |
| Jail time† | 610 | (20.9) |
| Alcohol use† | 1490 | (51.2) |
| Drug use (injection or noninjection)† | 2337 | (80.2) |
| Injection drug use† | 1114 | (38.2) |
| Overdose† | 205 | (7.0) |
| Methadone treatment† | 561 | (19.3) |
| HCV infection‡ | ||
| Yes | 1533 | (52.6) |
| No | 872 | (29.9) |
| Unknown | 508 | (17.4) |
| HIV infection‡ | ||
| Yes | 535 | (18.4) |
| No | 1735 | (59.6) |
| Unknown | 643 | (22.1) |
| HCV and HIV infection strata‡ | ||
| HCV+/HIV– § | 1068 | (36.7) |
| HCV– /HIV+¶ | 70 | (2.4) |
| HCV+/HIV+ | 465 | (16.0) |
| HCV–/HIV– | 693 | (23.8) |
| Unknown** | 617 | (21.2) |
Note: HCV = hepatitis C virus, SD = standard deviation. *Unless stated otherwise. †In the 6 months before the survey (self-reported). ‡Based on all linked laboratory test results (1991–2009). Characteristics of participants by HCV/HIV infection strata are shown in Appendix 1 (available at www.cmajopen.ca/content/1/2/E68/suppl/DC1). §Includes participants whose HCV result was positive and whose HIV status was either negative or unknown. ¶Includes participants whose HIV result was positive and whose HCV status was either negative or unknown. **Includes participants whose HCV status and HIV status were both unknown; it also includes participants whose status was unknown for either HCV or HIV and who had a negative HIV or HCV result, respectively.