Sexual behaviors and condom use of HIV-infected men and women of color attending a treatment and care clinic.
BACKGROUND
Limited data are available regarding high-risk sexual behaviors among HIV-infected African Americans and Latinos who receive ongoing care in clinical settings.


OBJECTIVE
To identify high-risk sexual behaviors and risk factors for consistent condom use and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study data from interviewer-administered surveys and CT tests.


RESULTS
Of 179 sexually active adults in the study, 35% had multiple sex partners, 37% had a partner with unknown HIV status and 49% used condoms consistently. Compared with men, women had fewer partners and were less likely to use condoms with partners of unknown HIV status. Men who have sex with men (MSM) had more partners and more partners with unknown HIV status compared with non-MSM. On multivariate analysis, drug use and having an HIV-infected partner were associated with less consistent condom use. CT prevalence was low (2%).


CONCLUSIONS
This study identified ongoing high-risk sexual behaviors among a clinic-based group of African-American and Latino HIV-infected men and women. The clinical setting may be an ideal place for implementation of secondary prevention interventions.
Absalon
Judith
J
Center for Infectious Diseases Epidemiologic Research, Mailman School of Public Health, Division of Infectious Diseases, Harlem Hospital Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. ja234@columbia.edu
Della-Latta
Phyllis
P
Wu
Fann
F
El-Sadr
Wafaa M
WM
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires