Does the sample represent the IDU who use the NEP services?
Data on selected demographic variables on the IDU who used the services of the NEP during the month of the study was available in Victoria. We compared the study participants with those IDU who visited the NEP during the same time period (Table 61). We observed similar pattern as noted in non NEP-users, as the study participants were little older, tend to inject cocaine more often although Aboriginal population was overrepresented in the study sample. Effect of inclusion criteria on the generalizability of the results? The inclusion criteria limited the study sample to participants older than 15 or16 years of age (depending on age of consent in the province). In our study, we observed that 30% of the participants reported starting to inject drugs at age 16 years or less. The New Montreal Street Youth Cohort in 2003 reported that of the street youth who are IDU, the mean age of first injection was 16.5 years similar to that found in our study.9 By limiting our study criteria to 15 years
