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Alcohol Consumption is Associated with Poor Health in HIV Clinic Patient Population: A Behavioral Surveillance Study

AIDS and Behavior volume 15, pages 209–213 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

Previous research reports that populations with HIV consume higher rates of alcohol than general population. This cross-sectional study (n = 391) was conducted to measure alcohol consumption, factors associated with consumption, and the relationship between alcohol and HIV viral loads among individuals receiving HIV care. Increased alcohol consumption was associated with being male, lower education attainment, and lacking a current HAART prescription. Additionally, among those currently on HAART, unsuppressed viremia was associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption. These findings suggest that there may be a relatively low level of alcohol consumption that is detrimental to virologic suppression among populations with HIV.

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Acknowledgments

This publication was partially supported by Grant Number UL1 RR024992 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), specifically KL2RR024994. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of NCRR or NIH. Dr. Overton has served as a consultant or on an advisory board for the following companies: Gilead, Bristol Myers Squibb, Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Tibotec, Merck, Monogram Sciences and Boehringer Ingelheim. He also has received research support from the following companies: Abbott, Gilead, Bavarian Nordic, Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Tibotec.

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Affiliations

  1. Health Communication Research Laboratory, The Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, 700 Rosedale Avenue, Box 1009, St. Louis, MO, 63112, USA

    Enbal Shacham

  2. Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Abayomi Agbebi, Kate Stamm & E. Turner Overton

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  1. Enbal Shacham
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  2. Abayomi Agbebi
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  3. Kate Stamm
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  4. E. Turner Overton
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Correspondence to Enbal Shacham.

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Shacham, E., Agbebi, A., Stamm, K. et al. Alcohol Consumption is Associated with Poor Health in HIV Clinic Patient Population: A Behavioral Surveillance Study. AIDS Behav 15, 209–213 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-009-9652-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-009-9652-9

Keywords

  • HIV
  • Alcohol use
  • Screening
  • Viral load suppression