Heterosexual anal sex among female drug users: U.S. national compared to local Long Beach, California data

Abstract

Receptive anal sex is a well-studied Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) high-risk behavior among gay and bisexual men, yet previous research indicates that more women than men may be at risk from heterosexual anal sex (HAS). 1991-1996 data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Cooperative Agreement (CA) were analyzed to model risk for women who reported having had HAS in the 30 days prior to interview. This model was then tested on recent data (2001-2006) collected on women in Long Beach, California. The multivariate model predicting anal sex in the NIDA CA dataset included sex trading; risk perception for HIV; ever had gonorrhea; sex while high; and drugs used in the last 30 days. African American race/ethnicity and older age were inversely associated with HAS. Risk factors common to both samples of women were number of days used amphetamine in the last month and risk perception for HIV.