Concurrent partnerships among rural African Americans with recently reported heterosexually transmitted HIV infection.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate concurrent sexual partnerships among African Americans in North Carolina with recently reported heterosexually transmitted HIV infection.


METHODS
Population-based case series of persons with newly reported HIV infection.


METHODS
Household interviews concerning sexual and other risk behaviors for HIV transmission were conducted among African Americans, 18-59 years old, who had been reported to the state health department within the preceding 6 months as having heterosexually acquired HIV infection. Dates of sexual partnerships were analyzed to identify concurrency among the 3 most recent partnerships.


RESULTS
Concurrency prevalence in the past 1 and 5 years, respectively, was 45 and 63% for men and 37 and 58% for women. Most respondents (87%) believed that a recent partner had had a concurrent partnership. Multivariate analysis revealed associations between concurrency and male gender, youth, crack cocaine smoking, and incarceration of a sex partner.


CONCLUSIONS
Concurrent partnerships likely accelerate heterosexual HIV transmission among blacks in the rural southeastern United States. Future research should examine the socioeconomic context that supports this network pattern.
Adimora
Adaora A
AA
Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. adimora@med.unc.edu
Schoenbach
Victor J
VJ
Martinson
Francis E A
FE
Donaldson
Kathryn H
KH
Stancil
Tonya R
TR
Fullilove
Robert E
RE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors