Binge drinking and risky sexual behavior among HIV-negative and unknown HIV status men who have sex with men, 20 US cities

Kristen L. Hess*, Pollyanna R. Chavez, Dafna Kanny, Elizabeth DiNenno, Amy Lansky, Gabriela Paz-Bailey, Jennifer Taus-sig, Robert Gern, Tamika Hoyte, Laura Salazar, Jianglan White, Jeff Todd, Greg Bautista, Colin Flynn, Frangiscos Sifakis, Danielle German, Debbie Isenberg, Maura Driscoll, Elizabeth Hurwitz, MiminosRose Doherty, Chris Wittke, Nikhil Prachand, Nanette Benbow, Sharon Melville, Praveen Pannala, Richard Yeager, Aaron Sayegh, Jim Dyer, Shane Sheu, Alicia Novoa, Mark Thrun, Alia Al-Tayyib, Ralph Wilmoth, Emily Higgins, Vivian Griffin, Eve Mokotoff, Karen MacMaster, Marcia Wolverton, Jan Risser, Hafeez Rehman, Paige Padgett, Trista Bingham, Ekow Kwa Sey, Marlene LaLota, Lisa Metsch, David Forrest, Dano Beck, Gabriel Cardenas, Chris Nemeth, NHBS Study Group

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

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 (≥5 drinks on ≥1 occasion) is the most common form of excessive alcohol consumption. This study examines the relationship between binge drinking and sexual risk behaviors among MSM who are current drinkers and who were either HIV-negative or unaware of their HIV status. Methods: Using the 2011 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system and multivariable Poisson models with robust error estimates, we assessed the association between binge drinking and sexual risk behaviors among current drinkers. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are presented. Results: Overall, 85% of MSM were current drinkers, and 59% of MSM who drank reported ≥1 episode of binge drinking in the preceding 30 days. In multivariable models, binge drinking was associated with condomless anal intercourse (CAI) at last sex with an HIV-positive or unknown status partner (receptive: PR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.6; insertive: PR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.4), having exchanged sex for money or drugs at last sex (PR: 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.7), having concurrent partners in the past year (PR: 1.1, 95% CI 1.1-1.2), and having more CAI partners in the past year (PR: 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.4) compared to non-binge drinkers. Conclusions: Evidence-based strategies for reducing binge drinking could help reduce risky sexual behavior among MSM.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)46-52
Number of pages7
JournalDrug and Alcohol Dependence
Volume147
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2015

Funding

This work was funded by a cooperative agreement between the Health Departments of the 20 US cities in the study and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Funding Opportunity Announcement #PS11-001). Data collection was conducted by the funded sites in accordance with a standardized protocol developed by CDC. Analysis of NHBS data and preparation of this manuscript were performed by CDC staff. This research was also supported in part by an appointment to the Research Participation Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and CDC. ORISE had no role in the preparation of the manuscript.

Keywords

  • Anal intercourse
  • Binge drinking
  • HIV
  • Men who have sex with men
  • Risky sex behaviors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Toxicology
  • Pharmacology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Pharmacology (medical)

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