title: Prevalence and predictors of concurrent sexual partnerships in a predominantly African American population in Jackson, Mississippi.
abstract: Concurrent sexual partnerships, or sexual partnerships that overlap in time, have been associated with HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI). How best to measure concurrency and the personal characteristics and predictors of concurrency are not yet well understood. We compared two frequently used concurrency definitions, including a self-reported measure based on participant response regarding overlapping sex with partners, and the UNAIDS measure based on overlapping dates of last sex and intention to have sex again. We performed multivariable logistic regression analyses to identify socio-demographic, behavioral, and structural predictors of concurrency among 1,542 patients at an urban STI clinic in Jackson, Mississippi. Nearly half (44 %) reported concurrency based on self-reported sex with other partners, and 26 % reported concurrency according to the UNAIDS concurrency measure. Using the self-reported concurrency measure, the strongest predictors of concurrency were perceived partner concurrency, drug use at last sex, having more than 10 lifetime partners, and being recently incarcerated. Strongest predictors of concurrency using the UNAIDS measure were lifetime number of partners and perceived partner concurrency. Concurrency is highly prevalent in this population in the Deep South and social, structural and behavioral factors were important predictors of concurrency for both measures. Future research should use time anchored data collection methods and biomarkers to assess whether both definitions of concurrency are associated with HIV outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, The Miriam Hospital and The Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, 164 Summit Ave, RISE 109, Providence, RI, 02906, USA, amy_nunn@brown.edu.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nunn
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: MacCarthy
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Annajane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yolken
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cornwall
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chamberlain
authors.forename: Arti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Reginald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Riggins
authors.forename: Elya
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Dantrell
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Leandro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mena
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008922:Mississippi / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data