Comparison of 2 Measures of HIV Sexual Risk Behavior in Women in Outpatient Drug Treatment Programs.
OBJECTIVE
HIV/STD sexual risk behavior is common among women who use drugs. To effectively implement interventions in busy drug treatment programs, it is important to have a rapid and accurate measure of sexual risk. This study compared 2 dichotomous ratings of unprotected sex among women in substance abuse treatment who participated in a HIV sexual risk reduction clinical trial: (1) any unprotected vaginal/anal sex occasions in the last 3 months, versus (2) unprotected vaginal/anal sex at last sexual occasion (LSO).


METHODS
Sexually active women from 12 methadone maintenance or psychosocial outpatient programs who had a main (n = 363) or other male partner(s) (n = 117) were assessed at baseline for unprotected sex in the last 3 months and at LSO. These 2 measures were compared for congruence.


RESULTS
Participants who reported unprotected sex at LSO consistently reported at least 1 unprotected sex occasion in the last 3 months: 99.1% for main male partner sex and 93.8% for other male partner sex. Participants who reported using a condom at LSO were less consistent of those reporting condom use at LSO; only 30.3% reported protected sex at all sex occasions in the last 3 months with main male partner and only 67.6% for other male partner(s).


CONCLUSIONS
Use of one question about condom protected sex at LSO appears to be a partially useful tool. It can be useful for detecting sexual risk in clinical or research settings wherein the central focus is not on sexual behavior or when time is limited.
From the Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland (G.T.); Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University (M.P., E.V.N., A.N.C.C., S.T.); Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (M.-C.H.); New York State Psychiatric Institute (E.V.N., A.N.C.C., S.T.); and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health (A.N.C.C.), New York, NY.
Gabriel
G
Thorens
Martina
M
Pavlicova
Mei-Chen
MC
Hu
Edward V
EV
Nunes
Aimee N C
AN
Campbell
Susan
S
Tross
D000553:Ambulatory Care; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010045:Outpatients; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012309:Risk-Taking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D014481:United States; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D008691:Methadone