Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Nov;83(6):1151-7.
doi: 10.1007/s11524-006-9119-5.

Associations between methamphetamine use and HIV among men who have sex with men: a model for guiding public policy

Steven Shoptaw  1 , Cathy J Reback
Affiliations

Associations between methamphetamine use and HIV among men who have sex with men: a model for guiding public policy

Steven Shoptaw et al. J Urban Health. 2006 Nov.

Abstract

Among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Los Angeles County, methamphetamine use is associated with high rates of HIV prevalence and sexual risk behaviors. In four separate samples of MSM who differed in the range of their intensity of methamphetamine use, from levels of recreational use to chronic use to those for MSM seeking drug abuse treatment, the association between methamphetamine use and HIV infection increased as the intensity of use increased. The lowest HIV prevalence rate (23%) was observed among MSM contacted through street outreach who mentioned recent methamphetamine use, followed by MSM who used at least once a month for six months (42%), followed by MSM seeking intensive outpatient treatment (61%). The highest rate (86%) was observed among MSM seeking residential treatment for methamphetamine dependence. The interleaving nature of these epidemics calls for comprehensive strategies that address methamphetamine use and concomitant sexual behaviors that increase risk of HIV transmission in this group already at high risk. These and other data suggest that MSM who infrequently use methamphetamine may respond to lower intensity/lower cost prevention and early intervention programs while those who use the drug at dependence levels may benefit from high intensity treatment to achieve goals of reduced drug use and HIV-risk sexual behaviors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Studies include purposeful samples (outreach and clinic-based). HIV prevalence is lower in samples of MSM seeking prevention or non-intervention projects, with very high prevalence observed in the treatment samples. This apparent “time-to-response” association has implications for guiding interventions, with lower-intensity prevention likely sufficient to help recreational and chronic users reach drug and sexual risk-behavior goals and high-intensity treatments likely necessary for MSM with dependence to reach drug and sexual risk-behavior goals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Stall R, Paul JP, Greenwood G, Pollack LM, Bein E, Crosby GM, Mills TC, Binson D, Coates TJ, Catania JA, et al. Alcohol use, drug use and alcohol-related problems among men who have sex with men: the Urban Men?s Health Study. Addiction. 2001;96:1589–1601. doi: 10.1046/j.1360-0443.2001.961115896.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Thiede H, Valleroy LA, MacKellar DA, Celentano DD, Ford WL, Hagan H, Koblin BA, LaLota M, McFarland W, Shehan DA, Torian LV, et al. Young Men?s Survey Study Group. Regional patterns and correlates of substance use among young men who have sex with men in 7 US urban areas. Am J Public Health. 2003;93:1915–1921. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Peck JA, Shoptaw S, Rotheram-Fuller E, Reback CJ, Bierman B. HIV-associated medical, behavioral, and psychiatric characteristics of treatment-seeking, methamphetamine-dependent men who have sex with men. J Addict Dis. 2005;24:115–132. doi: 10.1300/J069v24n03_10. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chesney MA, Barrett DC, Stall R. Histories of substance use and risk behavior: precursors to HIV seroconversion in homosexual men. Am J Public Health. 1998;88:113–116. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Greenwood GL, White E, Page-Shafer K, Bein E, Paul J, Osmond D, Stall RD, et al. Correlates of heavy substance use among young gay and bisexual men: The San Francisco Young Men?s Health Study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2000;61:105–112. doi: 10.1016/S0376-8716(00)00129-0. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances