Participants who reported being HCV positive initiated heroin injecting at a younger mean age (19 years, SD 5.7) than the remainder of the sample (21 years, SD 6.8). HCV positive participants were more likely to report initiating heroin use via injecting than those who were HCV negative (72% vs 58%, χ2 = 9.14, df = 1, p = 0.003). IDUs typically become infected with HCV early in their injecting career [30], thus analysis was stratified by years of injecting (≤ 3 years vs >3 years). The relationship remained only for those who had been injecting for more than three years (61% vs 76%, χ2 = 7.93, df = 1, p = 0.005). There was no difference in self reported HCV status between those who had initiated someone to injecting in the preceding 12 months and those who had not.
