Biomedical subjects

A L Bretteville-Jensen

Publications and source records attributed to A L Bretteville-Jensen.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

[Sex differences concerning the habit patterns and health among intravenous heroin addicts in Oslo].

The issue addressed below concerns sex differences in consumption patterns and ways of financing the drug habit among intravenous heroin users. The findings are linked to recorded differences in various health indicators. The article is based on data collected through 1,840 interviews with heroin abusers who contacted the "Needle-Exchange Bus" in Oslo during the years 1993-97. Analysis indicates the existence of substantial differences between women and men along a number of variables. Women report injecting more frequently than men and using on average more heroin per injection. Women also finance their drug habit differently, as more than half of them report some income from prostitution. The finding may seem paradoxical as women also appear to have a lower risk of dying from an overdose/poisoning and a lower risk of contracting hepatitis A and B than male injecting misusers. The risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, on the other hand, appears to be greater among female injectors.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Gender, heroin consumption and economic behaviour.

The study examines differences in consumption and economic behaviour among male and female heroin users. A sample of heroin injectors (n = 1834) was interviewed near the needle-exchange service in Oslo and information on consumption, prices, and income was recorded. The consumption pattern of the heroin addicts varies by gender, with females consuming relatively less alcohol and cannabis but significantly more heroin than their male counterparts. The finding of greater heroin consumption among women is surprising. By means of a switching regression model, price and income elasticities for heroin are estimated. Women appear to be more responsive than men to changes in prices. However, the elasticities also differ substantially by dealing status, and non-dealers are more price-responsive than dealers. Non-dealing males emerge with a higher income elasticity compared with their female counterparts, whereas female dealers seem to respond more to changes in income than do male dealers.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Addiction and discounting.

In 1988, Becker and Murphy [Becker, G.S., Murphy, K.M., 1988. A theory of rational addiction. Journal of Political Economy, 96, 675-700.] launched a theory in which they proposed that the perspective of rational decision-making could be applied also to cases of addictive behaviour. This paper discusses the theory's assumptions of interpersonal variation and stability in time preferences on the basis of estimates derived from three groups of people with different consumption levels of illegal intoxicants. We find that active injectors of heroin and amphetamine have a higher discount rate than a group reporting that they have never used the substances. Of greater interest, though not in accordance with Becker and Murphy's assumption of stability, we also find that the discount rate among active and former users differs significantly. These findings raise the question of whether a high time-preference rate leads to addiction or whether the onset of an addiction itself alters people's inter-temporal equilibrium.

Budgets↗

PubMed1996

The income-generating behaviour of injecting drug-users in Oslo.

Drug users' income-generating behaviours, such as prostitution, acquisitive crime and small-scale dealing, have a major influence on the harm caused to the non-using population. Using data on the drug use and income sources of 900 drug-injectors in Oslo, this paper has two aims: to present data on Oslo income-generating behaviours and compare these with those in the Netherlands and Scotland; and to explore conceptual issues in the comparison of self-reported dealing income with other sources. Eighty-three per cent of respondents reported income from social benefit, and 43% had sold drugs in the last month. Half the females reported income from prostitution. The income-generation differences found in the comparisons section do not seem to reflect variations in drug and other social policies, but may relate to differences in the profitability of dealing. Using self-reported dealing income to compare the contributions of different income sources may be misleading, however, since it does not reflect financial profit or the value of dealers' drug consumption. Adjusted figures show that theft accounts for 23% of total drugs expenditure, while the corresponding figures for dealing and prostitution are 42% and 21%, respectively.

Adult↗