HIV-positive patients' discussion of alcohol use with their HIV primary care providers.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the prevalence of HIV-positive patients discussing alcohol use with their HIV primary care providers and factors associated with these discussions.


METHODS
We recruited 1225 adult participants from 10 HIV care clinics in three large US cities from May 2004 to 2005. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the associations between self-reported rates of discussion of alcohol use with HIV primary care providers in the past 12 months and the CAGE screening measure of problem drinking and sociodemographic variables.


RESULTS
Thirty-five percent of participants reported discussion of alcohol use with their primary care providers. The odds of reporting discussion of alcohol were three times greater for problem drinkers than for non-drinkers, but only 52% of problem drinkers reported such a discussion in the prior 12 months. Sociodemographic factors associated with discussion of alcohol use (after controlling for problem drinking) were being younger than 40, male, being non-white Hispanic (compared with being Hispanic), being in poorer health, and having a better patient-provider relationship.


CONCLUSIONS
Efforts are needed to increase the focus on alcohol use in the HIV primary care setting, especially with problem drinkers. Interventions addressing provider training or brief interventions that address alcohol use by HIV-positive patients in the HIV primary care setting should be considered as possible approaches to address this issue.
Metsch
Lisa R
LR
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA. Lmetsch@med.miami.edu
Pereyra
Margaret
M
Colfax
Grant
G
Dawson-Rose
Carol
C
Cardenas
Gabriel
G
McKirnan
David
D
Eroglu
Dogan
D
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States