# The Influence of Spatial Proximity to Sterile Syringe Sources and Secondary Syringe Exchange on HCV Risk Among Rural People Who Inject Drugs

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER · 2021 · $51,036

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
The current U.S. opioid epidemic has fueled an increase in injection drug use and, in turn, an alarming surge in
new hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Between 2010 and 2015, the incidence of HCV increased by 294%
nationally, driven primarily by a rise in injection drug use and risky injection behavior – namely syringe sharing.
This growing epidemic has disproportionately affected young people who inject drugs (PWID) in rural
communities. There is an urgent need to implement tailored and effective harm reduction strategies to rural
PWID who are disproportionately impacted by HCV. Although research has shown that syringe services and
pharmacy syringe sales (i.e sterile syringe sources) are associated with a reduction in injection-mediated risks
and HIV transmission, the evidence for whether these services reduce HCV risk among PWID remains mixed.
This proposal will applying the risk environment model to evaluate the influence of sterile syringe sources on
the HCV risk environment. Specifically, this proposal will evaluate whether spatial proximity to sterile syringe
sources and receptive secondary syringe exchange are associated with HCV serostatus among rural PWID.
The aims are: (1) To evaluate the association between road network distance to the nearest sterile syringe
source (SSP or pharmacy that sells nonprescription syringes) and HCV serostatus; (2) To use egocentric
social network analysis to evaluate the association between receptive secondary syringe exchange and HCV
serostatus; (3) to explore and unpack rural PWIDs’ perceptions of and experiences with syringe acquisition and
syringe sharing practices through in-depth interviews. These findings could help inform the development of
future harm reduction interventions in rural New England, a region of the country that has been particularly
hard hit by the opioid epidemic and related HCV infections.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10213649
- **Project number:** 5F31DA051198-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Eric Romo
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $51,036
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-07-06 → 2024-07-05

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10213649

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10213649, The Influence of Spatial Proximity to Sterile Syringe Sources and Secondary Syringe Exchange on HCV Risk Among Rural People Who Inject Drugs (5F31DA051198-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10213649. Licensed CC0.

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