title: Patterns of HIV risk and alcohol use among African-American crack abusers.
abstract: Although the association between heavy alcohol use and HIV risk has been studied in treatment populations, we know little about patterns of alcohol use and HIV risk among out-of-treatment African-American drug users. This study examines the extent to which alcohol use affects HIV risk in a sample of 495 African-American crack users who did not inject drugs. We present differences between levels of alcohol and crack use with regard to sexual practices (including sex while impaired), number of partners, frequency of sexual activity, and condom use. The findings suggest an intimate relationship between alcohol use, crack use, and sexual risks for HIV infection. Respondents who reported frequent use (15-30 days in the last 30 days) of alcohol, crack, or both displayed significantly greater risk than those who reported less than frequent use.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Nursing, 27599, USA.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Rasch
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Weisen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Wechsberg
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perritt
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Dennis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016578:Crack Cocaine; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D016578:Crack Cocaine