Alcohol consumption and utilization of HIV prevention services among men who have casual sex with women in China

ABSTRACT

Men who have casual sex with women (MCSW) have played an important role in HIV new infections in China. Research studies have shown that heavy alcohol consumption can increase the risk of HIV infection. The cross-sectional study was conducted in two cities in China from December 2018 to May 2019 to examine the association between alcohol consumption and utilization of HIV prevention services among MCSW. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants and 400 MCSW were recruited in this study. There were 238 (59.6%), 213 (53.4%) and 129 (32.4%) participants having utilized HIV prevention services, condom promotion and distribution or HIV counseling and testing (CPD/HCT) services, and peer education services in the past 12 months, respectively. MCSW who were identified as heavy drinkers were less likely to utilize HIV prevention services and CPD/HCT services compared with non-drinkers. For youngsters, those who are in the local household and those who are married/cohabitating, heavy drinkers was less likely to utilize HIV prevention services. This study highlights the significance of intensive education on heavy drinkers of MCSW, particularly for high-risk subgroups. Targeting resources for integrated HIV prevention efforts with alcohol-using MCSW should be considered by public health policymakers.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol consumption
• HIV prevention services
• HIV counseling and testing
• peer education
• men who have casual sex with women
• China

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments should be made to local China CDCs and hospitals in Jinan and Haikou for helping to recruit participants, Dr. Canrui Jin and Liyan Wang in People’s Medical Publishing House for organizing the surveys.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author [Wei Ma] upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program under Grant [2017YFE0103800] and the National Science and Technology Major Project under Grant [2018ZX10721102-003-004] in China.