Alcohol Abuse Increases the Risk of HIV Infection & Diminishes Health Status of Clients Attending HIV Testing Services in Vietnam

BACKGROUND:

Vietnam is among those countries with the highest drinking prevalence. In this study, we examined the prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and its associations with HIV risky behaviors, health care utilization, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among clients using voluntary HIV testing and counseling services (VCT).

METHODS:

A cross-sectional survey of 365 VCT clients (71 % male; mean age 34) was conducted in Hanoi and Nam Dinh province. AUD and HRQOL were measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C), and EuroQol-five dimensions-five levels (EQ-5D-5L). Risky sexual behaviors, concurrent opioid use, and inpatient and outpatient service use were self-reported.

RESULTS:

67.2 % clients were lifetime ever drinkers of those 62.9 % were hazardous drinkers and 82.0 % were binge drinkers. There were 48.8 % respondents who had ≥2 sex partners over the past year and 55.4, 38.3, and 46.1 % did not use condom in the last sex with primary/casual/commercial sex partners, respectively. Multivariate models show that AUD was significantly associated with risky sexual behaviors, using inpatient care and lower HRQOL among VCT clients.

CONCLUSIONS:

AUD was prevalent, was associated with increased risks of HIV infection, and diminished health status among VCT clients. It may be efficient to screen for AUD and refer at-risk clients to appropriate AUD counseling and treatment along with HIV-related services.

Sexual risk behaviors and history of drug use among VCT clients in 2013 (n = 365)

Factors	Rural		Urban		Total		p value
	N	%	N	%	N	%
Ever had sex	90	90.9	257	96.6	347	95.1	0.03
Number of sex partners (in the last 12 months)
Not had anyone	34	34.3	18	6.8	52	14.3	<0.01
One sex partners	52	52.5	118	44.4	170	46.6
2–3 sex partners	6	6.1	94	35.3	100	27.4
>4 sex partners	7	7.1	36	13.5	43	11.8
Type of sex partners
Primary partners	68	68.7	238	89.5	306	83.8	<0.01
Casual sex partners	0	0.0	64	24.1	64	17.5	<0.01
Sex workers	16	16.2	64	24.1	80	21.9	0.10
Non-condom use with last sex
With primary sex partners (n = 305)	42	62.3	127	53.4	169	55.4	0.18
With casual sex partners (n = 60)	0	0.0	23	38.3	23	38.3	-
With sex workers (n = 76)	16	100.0	19	31.7	35	46.1	<0.01
Ever drug use	4	4.0	34	12.8	38	10.4	0.02
Ever inject drug	2	2.0	23	8.7	25	6.9	0.03
Current drug use	2	50.0	13	38.2	15	39.5	0.65

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/3cJBg1

By:  Tran BX1,2, Nguyen LH3,4, Nguyen CT5, Phan HT6, Latkin CA7.

• 1Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam. bach@hmu.edu.vn.
• 2Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. bach@hmu.edu.vn.
• 3Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
• 4School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
• 5Institute for Global Health Innovations, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
• 6Authority of HIV/AIDS Control, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.
• 7Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. 
• Harm Reduct J. 2016 Feb 16;13(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s12954-016-0096-z.

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