306939
Associations between sexual risk behaviors and substance use among treatment seeking adults
Objective: We examined the relationship between substance use and sexual risk behaviors among 1281 participants from 12 US community-based substance use disorder treatment programs.
Methods: Chi-square tests, univariate, and multiple logistic models were used in this planned secondary analysis of data from CTN-0032, a trial conducted within the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network.
Results: Cocaine (OR=2.31, 95%CI= 1.79-2.97, p<0.0001) and Viagra (OR=3.04, 95%CI= 1.30-7.13, p=0.0106) use were associated with more than twice the likelihood of engaging in sexual risk behaviors including multiple sex partners, unprotected anal sex, unprotected sex with non-primary partners, and unprotected sex with partners of unknown HIV serostatus. In addition, weekly use of tranquilizers/barbiturates (OR=1.58, 95%CI= 1.05-2.36, p=0.027), crack cocaine (OR=1.85, 95%CI= 1.30-2.63, p=0.0006), pain medication (OR=2.24, 95%CI= 1.53-3.27, p<0.0001), marijuana (OR=1.59, 95%CI= 1.19-2.13, p=0.0017) and powdered cocaine (OR=2.47, 95%CI= 1.40-4.36, p=0.0018) were significantly associated with higher odds of sexual risk behaviors.
Conclusions: Specific use patterns were associated with increased sexual risk behaviors within this large, treatment seeking sample. Awareness of these relationships may be useful in the development of HIV risk reduction interventions for implementation in substance use disorder treatment facilities.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programsEpidemiology
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe sexual risk profiles of clients in substance abuse treatment. Identify differences in sexual risk profiles with drug use and identify differential targets for potential interventions.
Keyword(s): HIV Risk Behavior, Drug Abuse Treatment
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I performed and initiated the analysis and have been part of data analysis team on the larger protocol and quality assurance. Further, I have a background in working with sexual risk behavior among substances use clients.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
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.