title: Alcohol misuse, risky sexual behaviors, and HIV or syphilis infections among Chinese men who have sex with men.
abstract: Few studies have employed standardized alcohol misuse measures to assess relationships with sexual risk and HIV/syphilis infections among Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM).
  
  
  
  We conducted a cross-sectional study among MSM in Beijing during 2013-2014. An interviewer-administered survey was conducted to collect data on sociodemographics, high-risk behaviors, and alcohol use/misuse patterns (hazardous/binge drinking and risk of alcohol dependence) in the past 3 months using Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C). We defined AUDIT-C score ≥4 as recent hazardous drinkers, and drinking ≥6 standard drinks on one occasion as recent binge drinkers.
  
  
  
  Of 3588 participants, 14.4% reported hazardous drinking, 16.8% reported binge drinking. Hazardous and binge drinking are both associated with these factors (p<0.05): older age, being migrants, living longer in Beijing, township/village origin, being employed, higher income, self-perceived low/no HIV risk, and sex-finding via non-Internet venues. Hazardous (vs non-hazardous) or binge (vs. non-binge) drinkers were more likely to use illicit drugs, use alcohol before sex, have multiple partnerships, pay for sex, and have condomless insertive anal intercourse. MSM who reported binge (AOR, 1.34, 95% CI, 1.02-1.77) or hazardous (AOR, 1.36, 95% CI, 1.02-1.82) drinking were more likely to be HIV-infected. MSM at high risk of current alcohol dependence (AUDIT-C ≥8) were more likely to be HIV- (AOR, 2.37, 95% CI, 1.39-4.04) or syphilis-infected (AOR, 1.96, 95% CI, 1.01-3.86).
  
  
  
  Recent alcohol misuse was associated with increased sexual and HIV/syphilis risks among Chinese MSM, emphasizing the needs of implementing alcohol risk reduction programs in this population.
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (SKLID), Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yuhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.affiliation: The Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Shiela M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Hongjie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: K Rivet
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Amico
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (SKLID), Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yiming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Han-Zhu
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA. Electronic address: sten.vermund@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Sten H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Vermund
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013587:Syphilis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: AUDIT-C; Alcohol use/misuse; China; HIV; Men who have sex with men; Sexual risk; Syphilis