Skurnic JH, Bromberg J, Kennedy C, Sheffet A, Louria DB; HIV Infection in Women Conference.

Program Abstr HIV Infect Women Conf HIV Infect Women Conf 1995 Wash DC. 1995 Feb 22-24; S25.

UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ.

Objective: To investigate safe sex practices within heterosexual couples with one HIV positive partner. Methods: Between August 1990 and February 1992 heterosexual HIV- serodiscordant couples in a longitudinal study of sexual transmission of HIV were interviewed about sexual practices and substance abuse at entry and semiannually. Injection drug use by the HIV- partner was an exclusion. 'Safe sex' was defined as abstinence or use of condoms 'always or almost always' (on a 5 point scale) during vaginal intercourse, as reported by the woman. Results: Twenty-four HIV+ and 107 HIV- women completed 6-month follow up with their HIV discordant partner. The cohort was 52% white, 19% black, 27% Hispanic; 70% had a high school education; women's mean age was 34 years; median length of relationship was 6 years; 65% were married. Seropositivity predated entry by a median of 13 months. Median frequency of vaginal intercourse before knowledge of HIV discordance as 2/week and dropped significantly (p=.0001) to 1/week at study entry. Only 8% ever used condoms the year before knowledge; in the year before entry 50% consistently used them, and 34% were abstinent. Between entry and follow-up 83 couples maintained safe sex practices; despite counseling, 21 couples relapsed and 11/19 (55%) persisted in unsafe sex (data on 8 couples were incomplete). Non-injection drug use by the HIV- partner and engagement in oral-penile sex were associated with unsafe sex before baseline; current employment of the women correlated with safe sex. Drinking alcohol in conjunction with sexual activity was associated with lapse from safe sex (OR 5, p=.01) between entry and follow-up and alcohol consumption by the man was associated with failure to adopt safe sex between entry and follow-up (OR 13, P=.05). Safe sex was not related to gender of the HIV+ partner. Conclusions: HIV-discordant couples' previous behavior patterns, including drug and alcohol use, may predict difficulty in adoption and maintenance of safe sex.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Condoms
• Family Characteristics
• Female
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Humans
• Knowledge
• Longitudinal Studies
• Male
• Safe Sex
• Sexual Behavior
• Unsafe Sex
• methods
• organization & administration
• transmission

Other ID:

• 95921842

UI: 102214786

From Meeting Abstracts