336671
An Exploration of HIV Risk Behaviors Among Patrons in Sexual Minority Drinking Environments
Fae Frederick, MA,
School of Applied Health and Educational Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Purpose: Bars represent a space of shared community space for sexual minorities, including gay men, lesbian women, bisexuals, and other gender minorities. Rates of alcohol use and alcohol related problems are higher among sexual minority status. Moreover, same-sex sexual contact remains the dominant cause of HIV transmission. Method: This study was conducted at multiple bars within a city in a socially conservative US state. At bar entrance, patrons were randomly selected for recruitment. Patrons were asked to complete a brief entrance survey, and give a breath sample. At exit, patrons were interviewed and asked for a breath sample. Phone surveys were conducted within one week to assess HIV risk behaviors. Results: One-hundred and one participants completed the entrance and exit surveys. Of those who participated, 62.4% identified as male. Breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) at entrance averaged 0.04 (SD= 0.07). Upon exiting the bar, the average BrAC was 0.06 (SD=0.07). Nearly two-thirds (64.8%) of participants identified as members of a sexual minority group. Rates of sexual activity and sex-related alcohol expectancies among sexual minorities were consistent with those of the sexual majority. Among a sub-sample that completed an outness inventory, sexual minorities reported marginally lower scores on outness to the world compared to the sexual majority. Bivariate and multivariate relationships will be presented and discussed in the context of prevention programs. Conclusions: Social stigma around sexual orientation and may lead individuals to engage in responsible alcohol consumption and responsible sexual behavior in order to protect sexual identity.
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Diversity and culture
Epidemiology
Learning Objectives:
Describe sexual minority drinking environment as a risk environment
Understand alcohol use as coping behavior of sexual minorities
Identify unique prevention approaches for sexual minorities
Keyword(s): Alcohol Use, Sexuality
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have 5 years of experience addressing the mental health of marginalized populations. I contributed substantially to the collection and analysis of this research project.
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.
