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Abstract #154509

Nadia Minian, PhD¹, Beatrice Krauss, PhD², Peter Nwakeze, PhD², Dee Burton, PhD³, Robert Kaplan, PhD (can)², and Angelica Martinez². (1) Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, 155 College Street, Unit 530, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada, 416.978.8137, nadia.minian@utoronto.ca, (2) Center for Community and Urban Health, Hunter College, 425 East 25th Street, 8th floor, New York, NY 10010, (3) Urban Public Health Program, School of Health Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, 425 E. 25th Street, Rm 923-West, New York, NY 10010

Background: Strong scientific evidence relates cigarette smoking to more than two dozen diseases and conditions, including heart disease, pulmonary disease and cancer. However, little is known of the added risk it has on a transient population at high risk of HIV.

Methods: Using data collected from a large multi-site sample that recruits unstably-housed people at high risk of HIV (N= 2,661) we conducted logistic-regression analysis in order to understand the risks of cigarette smoking in this population. We used cigarette smoking as the independent variable. Predictor variables (p 0.05 in bivariate analysis) were sociodemographic characteristics, alcohol and drug abuse, and existing health problems.

Results: Cigarette smoking was prevalent: 78% of clients were current smokers; 41% smoked more than one pack per day.

Logistic regression analysis showed that cigarette smoking was associated with being less educated (OR=0.8), unemployed (OR=0.7), abusing drugs (OR=3.0), having dental problems (OR=1.8), diabetes (OR=0.6), and hepatitis C (OR=1.6).

Conclusions: Even within a "high-need" population, cigarette smoking is associated with those most at need: the less educated, the unemployed, and people with drug problems. Consistent with other studies, results here suggest that it is associated with dental problems and diabetes. There was no relationship between smoking and being HIV positive, or with having an AIDS diagnosis. Of concern was the finding that incidence of hepatitis C is higher among cigarette smokers. Further studies should investigate the extent to which cigarette smoking influences susceptibility to hepatitis C infection and/or if their co-occurrence represents a health-risk-taking cluster.

Learning Objectives:

• 1)Describe the prevalent use of tobacco in a transient population at high risk of HIV.
• 2)Understand the potential links between tobacco and HIV-related disease.
• 3)Articulate the need for further research to look at the extent to which tobacco influences the susceptibility to becoming infected with hepatitis C.

Keywords: Tobacco, HIV Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.