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.
Full article at:
By:
1Division of Global HIV/AIDS, Center for
Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road
NE, Mailstop E-30, Atlanta 30329-1902, GA, USA
2Division of Global HIV/AIDS, Center for
Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Windhoek, Namibia
3ICF International, Atlanta, GA, USA
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv_insight
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