163469 Ethnicity, drug use, homelessness, sexual behavior and HIV in a sample of men in Los Angeles

Wednesday, November 7, 2007: 3:30 PM

Steve Shoptaw, PhD , Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Jason Wang, PhD , Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Pamina M. Gorbach, MHS, DrPH , Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Christopher Hucks-Ortiz, MPH , Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Sherry Larkins, PhD , Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
        
Background: These analyses evaluated associations between ethnicity, drug use, homelessness, sexual behavior and HIV in a sample of men contacted using Respondent Driven Sampling.

Methods: 723 men completed a computerized questionnaire about demographics (age, ethnicity), drug use (30 day use of cocaine/crack, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana), homelessness (yes/no) and recent sexual behavior (MSM, MSM+W, MSW) and provided biological samples for HIV testing.

Results: 214 (29.6%) men tested HIV-positive. Logistic regression showed HIV-positive men were significantly more likely to be of Hispanic ethnicity than Black race (OR=3.6, 95%CI 2.0-6.4), were less likely to have sex with women (OR=0.03; 0.01-0.08) or to have sex with men and women (OR=0.08; 0.05-0.13) than to have sex with men exclusively, and were less likely to be users of drugs other than methamphetamine than non drug users (OR=0.5; 0.3-0.9).

Conclusions: In this sample, predictors of HIV-status included Hispanic ethnicity and exclusively MSM sexual behaviors. Recent drug use did not predict HIV-serostatus. This sample provides evidence of risks for transmission in a sample of minority men in Los Angeles experiencing serious healthcare disparities.

Acknowledgments: This study is supported by NIDA grant # DA017394

Learning Objectives:
1. Evaluate the demographic, social and drug use factors that predict HIV serostatus in a sample of minority men in Los Angeles. 2. Assess how these factors may explain the potential for transmission of HIV within these men and their sexual partners.

Keywords: HIV Risk Behavior, Drug Use

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.

See more of: Drug Use and HIV Risk Behaviors among Men: Sexuality and Cultural Considerations
See more of: HIV/AIDS