Abstract
The purpose of this meta-analytic study is to summarize the current science concerning the (a) prevalence of alcohol use, (b) prevalence of sexual risk behaviors, and (c) association between alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Studies were included if they sampled PLWHA, evaluated both alcohol use and sexual risk behavior (e.g., condom use, multiple partners), and were published between January 1, 2012, and April 1, 2013. Comprehensive electronic database searches located 728 published studies with relevant keywords; 17 studies (k = 19 reports) were included. Findings indicate that a substantial proportion of PLWHA use alcohol and engage in sexual risk behaviors. Among PLWHA, alcohol use was significantly associated with unprotected sex (d + = 0.23, 95 % CI = 0.05, 0.40; k = 5). Secondary prevention programs for PLWHA that address alcohol use in the context of sexual behavior are needed.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Erika Sevetson, MS, for her assistance with determining the search terms and profile for the current meta-analysis and the study authors who provided additional data to assist our coding and analyses of their studies.
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Conflict of Interest
Blair T. Johnson received support for travel to meetings for the study or otherwise from NIH/NIAAA (R01-AA021355).
Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon, Paige Walstrom, Kate B. Carey, Michael P. Carey, and MASH Research Team (i.e., Chiao-Wen Lan, Matthew Pina, Xinmiao Tan) declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Research reported in this paper was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01 AA021355 to Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.
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Meta-Analyses of Alcohol, Sexual Risk Behaviors, and HIV (MASH) team members who assisted with this project included Chiao-Wen Lan, BS, BA, Matthew Pina, BS, and Xinmiao Tan, BMed.
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Scott-Sheldon, L.A.J., Walstrom, P., Carey, K.B. et al. Alcohol Use and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Individuals Infected with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis 2012 to Early 2013. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep 10, 314–323 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11904-013-0177-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11904-013-0177-5