title: Alcohol Use and HIV Testing in a National Sample of Women.
abstract: The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority groups and women in the United States. Prevention research suggests that reduced alcohol use and increased HIV testing are associated with lower incidence of HIV transmission among high-risk populations. Multivariable logistic regression analyses of the 2009 National Health Interview Survey data were performed for a national sample of 15,470 adult women to examine the relationship between alcohol use and likelihood of HIV testing. There is a significant association between level of alcohol use and HIV testing. Women who identified as heavy drinkers and moderate drinkers were significantly less likely to report ever testing for HIV. Findings add to the limited literature on the association between alcohol use and HIV testing behaviors among women. Given the incidence of HIV among women, this study highlights the importance of HIV testing, especially for alcohol-using women.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Systems Innovation, Department of Health Policy and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA, 02118-2526, USA. awwalter@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Angela W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.affiliation: Center for Addictions Research and Services, Boston University School of Social Work, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lundgren
authors.affiliation: PROMETRIKA, LLC, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Amarachi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Umez-Eronini
authors.affiliation: Institute for Behavioral Health, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.
authors.forename: Grant A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Ritter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol; HIV testing; HIV/AIDS; National Health Interview Survey; Women