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Minority Men Who Have Sex with Men Demonstrate Increased Risk for HIV Transmission

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Abstract

Black and Hispanic (minority) MSM have a higher incidence of HIV than white MSM. Multiple sexual partners, being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol during sex, having a detectable HIV-1 RNA, and non-condom use are factors associated with HIV transmission. Using data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study, we consider minority status and sexual orientation jointly to characterize and compare these factors. White non-MSM had the lowest prevalence of these factors (p < 0.001) and were used as the comparator group in calculating odds ratios (OR). Both MSM groups were more likely to report multiple sex partners (white MSM OR 7.50; 95 % CI 5.26, 10.71; minority MSM OR 10.24; 95 % CI 7.44, 14.08), and more likely to be under the influence during sex (white MSM OR 2.15; 95 % CI 1.49, 3.11; minority MSM OR 2.94; 95 % CI 2.16, 4.01). Only minority MSM were more likely to have detectable HIV-1 RNA (OR 1.87; 95 % CI 1.12, 3.11). Both MSM groups were more likely to use condoms than white non-MSM. These analyses suggest that tailored interventions to prevent HIV transmission among minority MSM are needed, with awareness of the potential co-occurrence of risk factors.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Scott Braithwaite for input on multiple risk behaviors and helpful comments on this paper. We would also like to acknowledge the Veterans who participate in the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) and the study coordinators and staff at each VACS site and at the West Haven Coordinating Center.

Funding

This study was funded by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Grant Numbers, U10 AA013566, U24 AA020794, and U01 AA020790).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave. Blg. 35A 2nd FL, 11-ACSLG, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA

    Kirsha S. Gordon, Amy C. Justice, Kathleen Akgün, Mona Duggal & Joseph L. Goulet

  2. General Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520–8088, USA

    E. Jennifer Edelman, Amy C. Justice, David A. Fiellin, Kathleen Akgün & Joseph L. Goulet

  3. Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    E. Jennifer Edelman & David A. Fiellin

  4. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Stephen Crystal

  5. Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, GA, 30033, USA

    David Rimland

  6. Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    David Rimland

  7. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Kendall J. Bryant

Authors
  1. Kirsha S. Gordon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kirsha S. Gordon.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Disclosures

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Gordon, K.S., Edelman, E.J., Justice, A.C. et al. Minority Men Who Have Sex with Men Demonstrate Increased Risk for HIV Transmission. AIDS Behav 21, 1497–1510 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1590-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1590-8

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