| Background: The number of people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Ukraine has been growing since the 1990s. Because of the illegal nature of drug use, incarceration is common among PWIDs. Previous studies show that the prevalence of HCV in PWIDs can reach 90%. The objective of this analysis is to assess the association between incarceration history and HCV in PWIDs in 5 regions of Ukraine.;Methods: Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit 857 PWIDs in 5 regions of Ukraine. Interviews were followed by rapid testing for HCV. Associative models using log binomial regression were built separately for each region with incarceration history as the main exposure of interest. Potential confounders included age, gender, education, marital status, living alone, employment status, monthly income, risky sexual behavior, risky injecting behavior, and alcohol intake. Effect modification by HIV status, marital status and length of injecting was also considered.;Results: Prevalence of HCV in the sample was 51.5%, ranging from 20.9% in Odesa to 81.7% in Kyiv. Prevalence of incarceration history among PWIDs was 49.5%. Incarceration history was significantly associated with positive rapid test result for HCV in 3 regions (Kyiv [Prevalence Ratio (PR) = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.08-2.12], Odesa [PR = 2.74, 95% CI = 1.18-7.32], and Lviv [PR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.10-3.36]) but not in Mykolayiv (PR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.48-2.03) or Dnipropetrovsk (PR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.52; 2.08). Confounders included living alone and length of injecting in Kyiv; living alone, HIV status, and marital status in Odesa; and marital status in Lviv. There was effect modification by length of injection and HIV status in Kyiv and Odesa, respectively, such that the association between incarceration history and HCV was stronger among those with longer injection history in Kyiv and among those also infected with HIV in Odesa.;Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of HCV and incarceration history among PWIDs in this sample, as well as significant associations between incarceration history and HCV in 3 regions, correctional facilities serve as important opportunities for HCV-related interventions for PWIDs. |
