Alcohol use and HIV risk behaviors among vulnerable Latino men

Alcohol abuse and HIV/AIDS are two major public health epidemics affecting Latino men. Recent evidence suggests that regardless of the level consumed, alcohol is likely to influence the health status and behaviors both of persons infected with HIV and those whose behaviors place them at risk for acquiring the virus. This analysis will examine the association between alcohol use and HIV sexual risk among Latino men subgroups at high risk of HIV. Methods: Data for this analysis emerged from the quantitative structured interview component of three mixed-methods studies with 18 to 49 years old Latino men in the New York Metropolitan Area: a) formerly incarcerated men (FILM), i.e., men released from jail or prison within the prior 5 years  (n=275); (b) daily and seasonal recent migrant workers, MWORK (n=50); and, (c) behaviorally bisexual men, LMSMW (n=150). Results: The majority of the men in the prior studies reported high daily intake of alcohol (2 drinks or more) in the prior 30 days (FILM=61.2%; LMSMW=45.3%; MWORK=37.6%). More than half the men drank alcohol right before (vaginal/anal) sexual intercourse in the past 30 days (FILM=64.1%; LMSMW=61.4%; MWORK=53.8%). Alcohol intake right before sex was consistently associated with unprotected sexual encounters in the prior 30 days [Adjusted Odd Ratios, AOR, 95% Confidence Intervals: LMSMW AOR = 3.87 (1.93, 7.81); MWORK AOR = 3.88 (1.25, 11.5); FILM AOR = 2.01 (1.17, 3.44)]. The primary determinants of the association between alcohol use and sexual risk for this sample were hypermasculinity, experiences of discrimination, loneliness, anxiety, and depression.