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. 2015 Oct;39(10):1997-2002.
doi: 10.1111/acer.12842. Epub 2015 Sep 1.

Prevalence of Heavy Drinking and Risky Sexual Behaviors in Adult Emergency Department Patients

Nadine R Mastroleo  1   2 , Don Operario  1   2 , Nancy P Barnett  1   2 , Suzanne M Colby  1   3 , Christopher W Kahler  1   2 , Peter M Monti  1   2
Affiliations

Prevalence of Heavy Drinking and Risky Sexual Behaviors in Adult Emergency Department Patients

Nadine R Mastroleo et al. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2015 Oct.

Abstract

Background: The study aim was to assess the prevalence and co-occurrence of alcohol and sexual risk behaviors among emergency department (ED) patients in community hospitals.

Methods: Systematic screening of ED patients (N = 6,486; 56.5% female) was conducted in 2 community hospitals in the northeast during times with high patient volume, generally between the hours of 10 AM to 8 PM, Monday through Saturday. Screening occurred from May 2011 through November 2013. Assessment included validated measures of alcohol use and sexual risk behavior.

Results: Overall results identified high rates of alcohol use, sexual risk behaviors, and their co-occurrence in this sample of ED patients. Specifically, ED patients in between the ages of 18 and 35 were consistently highest in hazardous alcohol use (positive on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test or endorsing heavy episodic drinking [HED]), sexual risk behaviors, and the co-occurrence of alcohol and sex-risk behaviors.

Conclusions: Findings show a high co-occurrence of hazardous drinking and unprotected sex among ED patients and highlight the role of HED as a factor associated with sexual risk behavior. Efforts to integrate universal screening for the co-occurrence of alcohol and sexual risk behavior in ED settings are warranted; brief interventions delivered to ED patients addressing the co-occurrence of alcohol and sexual risk behaviors have the potential to decrease the risk of sexually transmitted infections and HIV among a large number of patients.

Keywords: Alcohol; Emergency Department; Sex Risk.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Past 3-month hazardous drinking status by age. Note. Hazardous drinking defined as either Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test+ or heavy episodic drinking+. Analyses controlled for gender. Age groups with different superscripts differ significantly. The 18- to 25- and 26- to 35-year-old groups did not differ in the proportion of hazardous drinkers (signified by a), while the 36- to 50- and 51- to 65-year-old groups had significantly different proportions of hazardous drinkers than all other age groups (p < 0.001).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Past 3-month sex-risk behaviors by age. Note. Sex risk was defined as patients not in a monogamous relationship for 6 months or longer and endorsing at least 1 of the following risk factors (multiple sex partners, sex without a condom, sex under the influence of alcohol/drugs). Analyses controlled for gender. There were no significant differences between 18- to 25- and 26- to 35-year-old patients in proportion engaging in sex-risk behavior (signified by a), while the 36- to 50- and 51- to 65-year-old groups were significantly different than all other groups (p < 0.05).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Combined alcohol and sex-risk behaviors past 3 months. Note. Analyses controlled for gender. There were no significant differences between 18- to 25-and 26- to 35-year-old patients (signified by a), while the 36- to 50- and 51- to 65-year-old groups were significantly different than all other groups (p < 0.05).
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