HIV Positivity and use of Alcohol: A Study of Men Attending Integrated Counseling and Testing Center

The studies have shown that alcohol consumption can induce risky sex behavior which can be an independent factor for HIV positivity.

The present was conducted in order to study socio-demographic determinants of alcohol use and its association with prevalence of HIV positivity among HIV positive men.

The socio demographic data for this retrospective study was obtained from records of Integrated Counseling and Testing Centre (ICTC), Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi for one year. The data was analyzed using SPSS. Odds Ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI) and binary logistic regression were applied for data analysis.

The majority of the males (63.05%) were in the age group of 31–40 years. 55.51% men had positive history of consumption of alcohol. Majority of the respondents who consumed alcohol were found from rural background, had educational qualification less than intermediate level, age more than 40 years and had history of migration (65.89%). Positive history of alcohol consumption was found to be highest among widowers (68.49%) and drivers (86.75%). The prevalence of consumption of alcohol among the respondents was found to be significantly higher among the groups of respondents coming from the rural background, having educational qualification post graduation & above, those having positive history of migration, those coming from nuclear families (P< 0.001). The association between HIV positive status and history of alcohol consumption revealed that highly significant association was found among respondents coming from the rural background, having education post graduation & above, having positive history of migration, those coming from nuclear families (P < 0.001)

The present study clearly indicates the association of alcohol consumption and migration with HIV positive status and highlights the need for appropriate interventions for HIV/AIDS prevention.