The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access published online on June 29, 2009
The European Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckp091
Correlates of intensive alcohol and drug use in men who have sex with men in Catalonia, Spain
Cinta Folch1,2,3, Anna Esteve1,2, Kati Zaragoza4, Rafa Muñoz1,4 and Jordi Casabona1,2,5
1 Centre for Sexually Transmitted Infection and AIDS Epidemiological Studies of Catalonia (CEEISCAT) – ICO, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
2 Ciber Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
3 PhD Programme in Public Health and Methodology of Biomedical Research, Department of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Preventive Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
4 Asociación Stop Sida, Barcelona, Spain
5 Department of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Preventive Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
Correspondence:Cinta Folch Toda, Centre for Sexually Transmitted Infection and AIDS Epidemiological Studies of Catalonia (CEEISCAT), Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Ctra de Canyet s/n, 08916 Badalona, Spain, tel: +34 934 978 891, fax: +34 934 978 889, e-mail: cft.ceescat.germanstrias{at}gencat.cat
Received February 17, 2009 , accepted June 4, 2009
Background: The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of alcohol and drug use before or during sex among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Catalonia during 2006, and to identify factors associated with variables of intensive alcohol and drug use. Methods: Cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires. Men were recruited in saunas, sex shops, bars and a public park and by mail to all the members of the Catalonia Gay Federation. Results: 19.6% of men said they were frequent users of alcohol, some type of drug (21.7%), or that they were multidrug users (18%) in the last 12 months. The multivariate analysis showed an association between having suffered discrimination and frequent alcohol and multidrug use. Being human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive was associated with frequent use of drugs and multidrug use. Associations between substance use and sexual risk behaviour also emerged. Conclusion: The high percentage of MSM who use alcohol and drugs before and during sex and association between these substances and sexual risk behaviours reveals the need to intensify interventions to reduce their levels of use and/or to reduce the associated damage and risks. These programs must try to cover MSM-specific psychosocial aspects and include prevention for HIV-positive men.
Keywords: men who have sex with men, substance use, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, sexual risk behaviour.