title: Substance use and sexual risk: a participant- and episode-level analysis among a cohort of men who have sex with men.
abstract: Prior reports associating substance use with sexual risk behavior have generally used summary measures and have not adjusted for participants' background levels of substance use. In this 1999-2001 US study (the EXPLORE study), the authors determined whether substance use during sex was independently associated with sexual risk during recent sexual episodes, as reported by 4,295 human immunodeficiency virus-negative men who have sex with men. The main outcome measure was serodiscordant unprotected anal sex (SDUA). The influence of participant-level characteristics was examined by using repeated-measures logistic models. In assessing the influence of episode-level predictors on SDUA, the influence of participant-level characteristics, including 6-month substance use, was removed by using conditional logistic regression, in effect making each participant his own control. The authors also adjusted for partner characteristics. Eleven percent of participants reported heavy alcohol use, 37% used poppers, 19% sniffed cocaine, and 13% used amphetamines. In the participant-level analysis, use of poppers, amphetamines, and sniffed cocaine as well as heavy alcohol use in the prior 6 months were independently associated with SDUA. In the conditional analysis, consumption of > or = 6 alcoholic drinks or use of poppers, amphetamines, or sniffed cocaine just before or during sex was independently associated with SDUA. The authors concluded that programs aimed at preventing human immunodeficiency virus transmission should emphasize the influence of substance use during sex on increased risk behavior.
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Department of Public Health, HIV Research Branch, CA, 94102-6033, USA. Grant_Colfax@sfdph.org
authors.forename: Grant
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colfax
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vittinghoff
authors.forename: Marla J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Husnik
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McKirnan
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buchbinder
authors.forename: Beryl
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koblin
authors.forename: Connie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Celum
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chesney
authors.forename: Yijian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bozeman
authors.forename: Franklyn N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Judson
authors.forename: Kendall J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Coates
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D021841:Safe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology