Patients who know HIV-positive status may continue to engage in high-risk behaviors

ATLANTA – Approximately half of patients with HIV failed to disclose HIV status to all potential partners, according to findings from a self-reporting study presented at the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference, held here.

Marcus Durham, of the division of HIV/AIDS prevention at the CDC, presented the results. Durham said that using a telephone audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (T-ACASI) survey was key to gathering information about risk behaviors among people with HIV.

The study cohort comprised 888 patients with HIV who completed the survey. Eligible participants were part of the ongoing HOPS study. The current study was conducted between March 2007 and September 2008. Results demonstrated that in the previous six months, men were more likely than women to report:

recreational drug use (58% vs. 24%).
alcohol use (74% vs. 45%).
having had >2 sex partners (61% vs. 10%).
having engaged in unprotected anal or vaginal sex at least once (37% vs. 22%).

Women were more likely than men to report tobacco use (34% vs. 24%).

All demographic groups had comparable rates of missing ART doses. Men who have sex with men reported higher rates of recreational drug use, >2 sex partners and rates of unprotected anal or vaginal sex than participants who were designated as being high-risk. Insertive anal sex was reported by 23% of MSM and unprotected receptive anal sex with partners whose HIV status was either negative or unknown was reported by 29% of MSM.

“Oral sex behaviors among women and MSM certainly were driving some of the numbers up,” Durham said. “But this does not change the fact that monitoring risk behaviors among HIV positive populations remains critical.”

Durham M. B04-1.