Amphetamine use and sexual risk among men who have sex with men: results from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance study--New York City

Abstract

A 2004-2005 survey among 503 men who have sex with men who attend public venues in New York City was used to examine the relationship of amphetamine use with sexual risk behaviors. Among the men recruited, 51.1% were under 30 years of age, 27.4% were Latino, and 23.3% were African American. Most identified as either gay (78.9%) or bisexual (18.1%). A standardized questionnaire collected data on demographics, sexual risk behaviors, drug and alcohol use, history of HIV testing, and occurrences of sexually transmitted infections. Amphetamine use in the past year was reported by 13.8%. Of those, 71.0% used amphetamines with sex. Amphetamine use was associated with unprotected receptive anal intercourse with non-main partners. In event-specific analysis, amphetamine use was higher with unprotected encounters compared with protected encounters. This study confirms the association between amphetamine use and sexual risk furthers our understanding of risky circumstances and lays the groundwork for the design of interventions.