142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

310352
Race-Specific Patterns and Determinants of Alcohol Use among a Sample of Men Who Have Sex with Men

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM

Emily Greene, MPH, MPhil , Laboratory of Social and Behavioral Sciences, New York Blood Center, New York, NY
Victoria A. Frye, MPH, DrPH , Laboratory of Social and Behavioral SciencesProgram, New York Blood Center, New York, NY
Magdalena Cerda, PhD , Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, NY
Vijay Nandi, MS , Statistical and Data Management Core, New York Blood Center, New York, NY
Danielle Ompad, PhD , Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York University, New York, NY
Hong Van Tieu, MD, MPH , Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention, New York Blood Center, New York, NY
Donald R. Hoover, PhD , Statistics & Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Beryl Koblin, PhD , Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention, New York Blood Center, New York, NY
Background: Generally, non-Hispanic African American/Blacks report less alcohol consumption and hazardous alcohol use than non-Hispanic whites.   This analysis examined differences in alcohol use by race in a sample of urban MSM, drawn from the NYCM2M study, identifying correlates of hazardous alcohol use among MSM.  

Methods: Non-Hispanic African American/Black (n=374) and white MSM (n=474) living in New York City during 2010-2013 were recruited via modified time-space, venue- based sampling and through internet ads and “apps.” Men who scored 4+ points on the AUDIT-C were categorized as meeting criteria for hazardous alcohol use. Logistic regression models estimated associations between individual factors and hazardous drinking.

Results: Overall, 56% of respondents met criteria for hazardous drinking; African American/Black MSM were less likely than whites to report hazardous drinking (45% vs. 65%, p < 0.001).  Among both African American/Black and white MSM, recent drug use was associated with increased odds of hazardous drinking (aOR=2.71, 95%CI: 1.66-4.72; aOR=2.14, 95% CI: 1.34-3.42, respectively); increasing age was associated with reduced odds of hazardous drinking, but more so among white men (aOR=0.96/year, 95% CI: 0.95-0.98; aOR=0.92/year, 95% CI: 0.90-0.94, respectively).  Among white men, greater involvement in the gay community (aOR=1.06, 95% CI: 1.01-1.12) was associated with slightly increased odds of hazardous drinking, while higher internalized homophobia was associated with reduced odds of hazardous drinking (aOR=0.64, 95% CI: 0.46-0.91).

Conclusions: While certain risk factors for hazardous alcohol use may be common across racial groups among MSM, important psychosocial risk factors for hazardous alcohol consumption may vary by race.

Learning Areas:

Diversity and culture
Epidemiology
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe racial disparities in alcohol use and implications for HIV prevention. Identify correlates of hazardous alcohol use by race/ethnicity among MSM living in New York City. Discuss the role of alcohol use in HIV prevention among racial and ethnic minority MSM.

Keyword(s): Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been researching HIV risk and protective factors and alcohol and drug use in diverse populations for nearly a decade in New York City. I am an analyst on the NYCM2M study in the Laboratory of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the New York Blood Center. I possess an MPH degree and an MPhil and am a NIMH pre­doctoral fellow in the epidemiology department of the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University.
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.

Back to: 3044.0: Alcohol Use and HIV