Sexual behaviors and condom use of HIV-infected men and women of color attending a treatment and care clinic.
Judith Absalon, Phyllis Della-Latta, Fann Wu, Wafaa M El-Sadr
Author Information
Judith Absalon: Center for Infectious Diseases Epidemiologic Research, Mailman School of Public Health, Division of Infectious Diseases, Harlem Hospital Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. ja234@columbia.edu
INTRODUCTION: Limited data are available regarding high-risk sexual behaviors among HIV-infected African Americans and Latinos who receive ongoing care in clinical settings. OBJECTIVES: To identify high-risk sexual behaviors and risk factors for consistent condom use and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection. METHODS: Cross-sectional study data from interviewer-administered surveys and CT tests. RESULTS: Of 179 sexually active adults in the study, 35% had multiple sex partners, 37% had a partner with unknown HIV status and 49% used condoms consistently. Compared with men, women had fewer partners and were less likely to use condoms with partners of unknown HIV status. Men who have sex with men (MSM) had more partners and more partners with unknown HIV status compared with non-MSM. On multivariate analysis, drug use and having an HIV-infected partner were associated with less consistent condom use. CT prevalence was low (2%). CONCLUSION: This study identified ongoing high-risk sexual behaviors among a clinic-based group of African-American and Latino HIV-infected men and women. The clinical setting may be an ideal place for implementation of secondary prevention interventions.
