Prevalence and correlates of hazardous alcohol consumption and binge drinking among men who have sex with men (MSM) in San Francisco

Abstract

ObjectivesTo describe heavy alcohol use patterns and correlates in a diverse sample of MSM.MethodsWe used respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to enroll 252 alcohol-using MSM in San Francisco from March 2015-July 2017. We examined heavy alcohol use patterns and conducted RDS-adjusted multivariable analyses to characterize correlates of hazardous alcohol consumption and binge drinking.ResultsRDS-adjusted prevalence of weekly and at least weekly binge drinking was 24.9% and 19.3%, respectively. Hazardous consumption was common; prevalence of mid- and high-levels of hazardous drinking was 11.4% and 29.9%, respectively. In multivariable analyses, identifying as Hispanic/Latino or mixed/other race; being moderately or extremely interested in reducing alcohol use; ever receiving alcohol treatment; using ecstasy; reporting syphilis diagnosis; and having more than 5 male partners were independently associated with hazardous alcohol consumption. Less hazardous consumption was associated with having a bachelor's degree or completing post-graduate studies; and not being in a relationship. Reporting chlamydia infection; being somewhat, moderately or extremely interested in reducing alcohol use; and having multiple male sex partners were associated with higher odds of at least weekly binge drinking. Lower odds of binge drinking were associated with completing post-graduate studies. Moreover, for the outcomes of hazardous alcohol consumption and binge-drinking, we observed significant interaction effects between race/ethnicity and interest in reducing alcohol, past receipt of alcohol treatment, use of ecstasy, syphilis diagnosis, and number of male partners.ConclusionAmong alcohol-using MSM in San Francisco, heavy drinking patterns were common and independently associated with greater number of male sexual partners and sexually transmitted infections (STI). Moreover, significant racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities related to heavy alcohol use were observed and race/ethnicity modified the effect of the risk factors associated with these outcomes. These findings underscore the need to develop more MSM-specific interventions that jointly address heavy alcohol use and HIV/STI risk, as well as culturally-tailored and targeted strategies to alleviate health disparities.

Sustained HIV viral suppression among men who have sex with men in the Miami-Dade County Ryan White Program: the effect of demographic, psychosocial, provider and neighborhood factors

“…Our finding that young MSM had lower odds of sustained viral suppression is consistent with national studies of the general population of PLHIV [7,9,[13][14][15]. A study of 33 United States jurisdictions with complete reporting of viral load tests found that in 2014, [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] year old PLHIV were more likely to have unsuppressed viral loads Fig. 1 Factors associated with sustained viral suppression among men who have sex with men.…”

“…Of note, our study included 47 MSM that also reported IDU as an HIV risk exposure. Our findings are particularly important among MSM, as the prevalence of drug and alcohol use among this population is high [22], and drug use has been associated with poor ART adherence [23]. A recent study suggested that anticipated substance use stigma is associated with ART adherence among drug users, even after controlling for severity of drug and alcohol use [24].…”

“…Young MSM also show concerning rates of viral suppression. Further, the intersection of race/ethnicity and young age put minority MSM at risk, with Black MSM aged [20][21][22][23][24] years showing viral suppression rates as low as 45.3% compared with 60.7% of [20][21][22][23][24] year old White MSM [5].…”

Alcohol consumption patterns among men who have sex with men in major cities of Myanmar: A cross-sectional study

“…Previous studies have highlighted that hazardous alcohol drinking was common among men who have sex with men (MSM), ranging from incidences of 14% to 52%, and it was also associated with unsafe sexual behaviours (Davis et al, 2016;Herrera et al, 2016;Liu et al, 2016;Santos et al, 2018). Furthermore, a significant association was noted between hazardous alcohol drinking and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.…”

Acceptability of pharmacotherapy for hazardous alcohol use among men who have sex with men: Findings from a qualitative study

“…While pharmacotherapy for AUD is considered underutilized in the US despite clinical guidelines for first-line use in those with moderate to severe AUD ( Jonas et al, 2014 ; Mark, Kassed, Vandivort-Warren, Levit, & Kranzler, 2009 ; Reus et al, 2018 ), data specific to MSM remain scarce. In a cross-sectional study conducted by our research group, only 6.9% of MSM with hazardous alcohol use received medications for alcohol treatment ( Santos et al, 2018 ). Several studies have documented health care provider barriers to medication-assisted treatment, including inadequate knowledge of medication options and concerns about adherence, cost, efficacy, and side effects ( Lee, Kresina, Campopiano, Lubran, & Clark, 2015 ; Thomas, Wallack, Lee, McCarty, & Swift, 2003 ).…”