142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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304404
Binge Drinking is associated with Sexual Risk Behaviors in MSM - 20 U.S. cities

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Kristen Hess, PhD , Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, GA
Elizabeth DiNenno, PhD , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Pollyanna Chavez, MS, PhD , Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, NCHHSTP, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta
Gabriela Paz-Bailey, MD, PhD, MSc , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Kristina Bowles, MPH , Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) represent over half of new HIV infections in the United States.  It is important to understand the factors associated with engaging in risky sexual behavior to develop effective prevention interventions.  Binge drinking (BD) is the most common form of excessive alcohol consumption. This study describes the association of BD with sexual risk behaviors among MSM.    

Methods: We examined data from the 2011 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System, which recruited MSM through venue-based, time-space sampling in 20 cities.  The analysis included MSM who reported ≥1 male sex partner in the past year, drinking alcohol in the past month, and who did not self-report being HIV-positive.  Multivariate Poisson models with robust error variance were used to assess the association between BD (having >5 drinks at one occasion in the past month) and sexual risk behaviors.  Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are presented.

Results: The prevalence of BD was 59% among MSM.  After controlling for confounding factors, BD was significantly associated with having unprotected anal intercourse with a partner of different or unknown HIV status at last sex (aPR=1.25, CI=1.07-1.46), having concurrent partners (aPR=1.10, CI=1.05-1.16), having exchange sex in the past year (aPR=1.27, CI=1.11-1.45), and using drugs at last sex (aPR=1.19, CI=1.07-1.32).          

Conclusions: BD was prevalent in our sample and was shown to be consistently associated with sexual risk behaviors among MSM.  This analysis suggests that HIV prevention interventions for MSM would benefit from addressing issues around excessive alcohol consumption.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the prevalence of binge drinking among men who have sex with men and its association with risky sexual behaviors.

Keyword(s): HIV Risk Behavior, Alcohol Use

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I serve as an epidemiologist in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at CDC and have been a project officer overseeing contracts and cooperative agreements related to HIV behavioral surveillance.
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.