Cocaine use and high-risk sexual behavior among STD clinic patients.
OBJECTIVE
Crack-smoking sexually transmitted disease (STD) patients are at high-risk for contracting HIV.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of cocaine use and other correlates on high-risk sexual behavior among STD clinic patients.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study of 1,490 consecutive patients attending three Los Angeles County STD clinics between 1992 and 1994.


RESULTS
Logistic regression analysis found high-risk sexual activity was associated with being a male and being of younger age. Among women, high-risk sexual behavior was associated with crack cocaine use and a perceived need for help. Among the men in the study, ethnicity (being black) and having an arrest history were associated with high-risk behavior.


CONCLUSIONS
Effective intervention strategies should address cocaine use among STD patients and provide them with referrals to drug treatment.
UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center 90025, USA. yhser@ucla.edu
Y I
YI
Hser
C P
CP
Chou
V
V
Hoffman
M D
MD
Anglin
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016578:Crack Cocaine; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*
D016578:Crack Cocaine