Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Aug;53(2):215-21.
doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.02.005. Epub 2013 Apr 12.

Frequency of alcohol use in adolescence as a marker for subsequent sexual risk behavior in adulthood

Maureen Muchimba  1 , Brett C Haberstick, Robin P Corley, Matthew B McQueen
Affiliations

Frequency of alcohol use in adolescence as a marker for subsequent sexual risk behavior in adulthood

Maureen Muchimba et al. J Adolesc Health. 2013 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: Although a number of studies have demonstrated an association between alcohol use frequency and sexual risk behavior, few have used longitudinal data. This study examined alcohol use frequency in adolescence as a predictor of HIV sexual risk behavior in adulthood.

Methods: We collected data among 1,368 participants in Colorado. During adolescence (time 1), respondents were asked about the frequency of using alcohol during the previous 12 months. In adulthood (time 2), the same respondents were asked about their sexual risk behavior during the previous 12 months. Sexual risk behavior items were used to construct an index, which was categorized to indicate low-, medium-, and high-risk study participants. The relationship between alcohol use patterns and risky sexual behavior was modeled using ordinal regression.

Results: Compared with individuals who drank no alcohol in the past 12 months at time 1, the odds of being in a higher risk group of sexual behavior as opposed to a lower one at time 2 were 1.56 (95% CI, 1.04-2.35) among those who drank 6-19 times. Similarly, the odds of being in a higher risk group relative to a lower one among those who drank ≥20 times or were 1.78 (95% CI, 1.05-3.02).

Conclusions: Alcohol use patterns in adolescence may be useful markers for programs that aim to prevent risky sexual behavior. Based on alcohol intake patterns, it may be possible to identify frequent alcohol users that need to be targeted with appropriate alcohol use and HIV risk reduction messages.

Keywords: Adolescence; Alcohol; Frequency; Longitudinal; Sexual risk behavior.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of scores of sexual risk behavior index.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Frequency of alcohol use in previous 12 months at Time 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Prejean J, Song R, Hernandez A, Ziebell R, Green T, Walker F, et al. Estimated HIV incidence in the United States, 2006-2009. PLoS One. 2011;6:e17502. - PMC - PubMed
    1. CDC Increases in unsafe sex and rectal gonorrhea among men who have sex with men--San Francisco, California, 1994-1997. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2010;48:45–48. - PubMed
    1. [January 26, 2012];United Nations Children's Fund & Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and World Health Organisation: Young People and HIV/AIDS. Opportunity in Crisis: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 2002 Available at http://data.unaids.org/topics/young-people/youngpeoplehivaids_en.pdf.
    1. Shelton JD, Halperin DT, Nantulya V, Potts M, Gayle HD, Holmes KK. Partner reduction is crucial for balanced “ABC” approach to HIV prevention. BMJ. 2004;328:891–893. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ericksen KP, Trocki KF. Behavioral risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases in American households. Soc Sci Med. 1992;34:843–853. - PubMed