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The Role of Poly-Substance Use in High-Risk Sex

Longitudinal patterns of methamphetamine, popper (amyl nitrite), and cocaine use and high-risk sexual behavior among a cohort of San Francisco men who have sex with men

Grant ColfaxContact Information, Thomas J. Coates2, Marla J. Husnik3, Yijian Huang4, Susan Buchbinder1, Beryl Koblin5, Margaret Chesney6, Eric Vittinghoff7 and EXPLORE Study Team

(1)  HIV Research Branch, San Francisco Department of Public Health, 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 500, 94102-6033 San Francisco, CA
(2)  University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
(3)  Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
(4)  Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
(5)  The New York Blood Center, New York, New York
(6)  National Center of Complementary & Alternative Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland
(7)  University of California, San Francisco, California

Abstract  Most prior studies examining drug use among men who have sex with men (MSM) have been cross-sectional or retrospective and have not determined whether periods of increased drug use are associated with high-risk sexual behavior at the individual level. In this article, we describe patterns of use of methamphetamines, poppers, and sniffed cocaine and sexual risk behavior among 736 San Francisco MSM enrolled in the EXPLORE study and followed for up to 48 months. In longitudinal analysis, use of methamphetamines, poppers, and sniffed cocaine declined during follow-up. However, compared with older participants, younger participants were more likely to increase their drug use over time. Results of conditional logistic regression demonstrated that high-risk sexual behavior was more common during reporting periods characterized by increased methamphetamine, poppers, or sniffed cocaine use. This within-person analysis found that compared with periods of no drug use, periods of both light drug use (less than weekly use of drugs) and heavier drug use (at least weekly use of at least one drug) were significantly associated with increased risk of engaging in uprotected anal sex with an HIV-positive or unknown-status partner. These results suggest that even intermittent, recreational use of these drugs may lead to high-risk sexual behavior, and that, to reduce and prevent risks of HIV, no level of use of these drugs should be considered “safe.” HIV prevention interventions should target MSM who report either light or heavy use of methamphetamines, poppers, and sniffed cocaine.

Keywords  Drug use - HIV - Men who have sex with men - Sexual risk behavior


Contact Information Grant Colfax
Email: grant_colfax@sfdph.org
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Referenced by
3 newer articles

  1. Folch, C. (2009) Correlates of intensive alcohol and drug use in men who have sex with men in Catalonia, Spain. The European Journal of Public Health
    [CrossRef]
  2. Shoptaw, Steven (2007) Methamphetamine use and infectious disease-related behaviors in men who have sex with men: implications for interventions. Addiction 102(s1)
    [CrossRef]
  3. Gee, Royal (2006) Primary care health issues among men who have sex with men. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 18(4)
    [CrossRef]
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