HIV Risk Behaviors of Gay and Bisexual Male Methamphetamine Users Contacted Through Street Outreach

• NCJ Number: 177026
• Journal: Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 29 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 1999 Pages: 155-166
• Author(s): C J Reback; C E Grella
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 12 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Los Angeles Cty; National Ctr for Health Statistics
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes characteristics of 908 gay and bisexual male drug users contacted over a 12-month period through a street outreach HIV risk-reduction program in Hollywood, CA.

Abstract

More than one-third (37 percent) of the contacted individuals reported using methamphetamine in the previous 30 days; more than half of these (58 percent) reported injection drug use. Methamphetamine users were more likely to be white, to engage in sex work, to inject drugs and to have sex partners who injected drugs. Users were also less likely to have used condoms when engaged in high-risk sexual behavior and were more likely than non-users to have used other drugs within the previous 30 days. Methamphetamine use among gay and bisexual males compounds risk for HIV, and risk-reduction interventions to this population should address both high-risk drug and sexual behaviors within the broader context of gay male communities. Tables, references