Details:

Alternative Title:
BMC Public Health
Personal Author:
Schwitters, Amee ; Sabatier, Jennifer ; Seth, Puja ; Glenshaw, Mary ; Remmert, Dietrich ; ... More +
Schwitters, Amee ; Sabatier, Jennifer ; Seth, Puja ; Glenshaw, Mary ; Remmert, Dietrich ; Pathak, Sonal ; Bock, Naomi Less -
Description:
Background

Namibia’s HIV prevalence is 13.3 %. Alcohol is associated with sexual risk-taking, leading to increased HIV risk. Baseline sexual behaviors, HIV and alcohol knowledge, and self-perceived HIV risk were examined among men reporting high-risk drinking in Katutura, Namibia.

Methods

HIV negative men, ≥ 18 years, were screened for harmful or hazardous levels of drinking and >1 recent sex partner prior to randomization into control or intervention arm. SAS 9.3 and R 3.01 were used for descriptive baseline cohort analyses.

Results

A total of 501 participants who met criteria were included in analysis (mean Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT] =12.4). HIV and alcohol knowledge were high with the majority (>85 and 89.8–98 %, respectively) of respondents correctly answering assessment questions. Despite high knowledge levels, 66.7 % of men felt they were at some or high risk of HIV acquisition. Among those respondents, 56.5 % stated often wanting to have sex after drinking and 40.3 % stated sex was better when drunk. Among respondents with non-steady partners [n = 188], 44.1 % of last sexual encounters occurred while the participant was drunk and condoms were not used 32.5 % of those times. Among persons who were not drunk condoms were not used 13.3 % of those times.

Conclusions

Sex with casual partners was high. Inconsistent condom use and alcohol use before sex were frequently reported. Increased emphasis on alcohol risk-reduction strategies, including drinking due to peer pressure and unsafe sexual behaviors, is needed.


Subject:
[+]
Adult
Alcohol
Alcohol Drinking
Alcoholism
Cohort Studies
Condoms
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
HIV
HIV Infections
Humans
Male
Men
Research Article
Risk-Taking
Self Concept
Sexual Behavior
Surveys And Questionnaires
Young Adult

Source:
BMC Public Health. 15.
Series:
PEPFAR
Pubmed ID:
26607874
Pubmed Central ID:
PMC4660628
Document Type:
Journal Article
Funding:
PS002722/PS/NCHHSTP CDC HHS/United States ; PEPFAR/United States
PS002722/PS/NCHHSTP CDC HHS/United States ; PEPFAR/United States Less -
Place as Subject:
Namibia
Collection(s):
CDC Public Access
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:06b1e42c7b1289ccb845382160523fd17f1d9b7fa7350fd052963640d5cb8d2d
File Type:

Supporting Files

• 12889_2015_Article_2516.nxml

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