Social Determinants Associated With Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Men Who Inject Drugs in Kermanshah, Western Iran Publisher



Noroozi M^{1, 2} ; Ahmadi S³ ; Armoon B⁴ ; Jorjoran Shushtari Z¹ ; Sharhani A⁴ ; Ahounbar E⁵ ; Karimi SE³ ; Rahmani A⁶ ; Mokhayeri Y⁷ ; Qorbani M⁸ ; Farhadi MH⁵ ; Waye K⁹ ; Alibeigi N² ; Bazrafshan MR¹⁰ Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Substance Use Published:2018

Abstract

Background: Limited studies exist on risky sexual behaviors and sociodemographic variables among people who use drugs. Understanding the social determinants of risky sexual behaviors is important for designing appropriate HIV/AIDS interventions. Therefore, to illuminate this uncharted area, we aimed to investigate the social determinants of risky sexual behaviors among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Kermanshah, Iran.Methods: Cross-sectional data were analyzed from the HIV Behavioral Surveillance among PWID, conducted from 2013 to 2014 in Kermanshah, Iran. Additional data were collected by holding interviews to acquire information on sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., age, educational), history of substance use (i.e., age of initiation, use of specific drug types in the past 6 months), sexual behaviors including consistent condom use (yes/no), and type of sexual partners (main, casual, exchange). We analyzed variables individually through bivariate analysis and subsequently ran significant variables (P < 0.2) in a multivariate regression model. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were conducted in Stata 11.Results: Participants were between the age of 14 and 78 years (median = 31 years; SD = 11.23 years). Compared to PWIDs who reported no sexual risk behavior, participants that were more likely to partake in sexual risk behaviors were those of low (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.2, P < 0.05) or moderate (AOR = 2.2, P < 0.05) socioeconomic status and methamphetamine use (AOR = 2.8, P < 0.05).Conclusion: A key finding of this study is that PWID who reported having multiple sex partners with inconsistent condom use were more likely to experience poly-drug use, methamphetamine use, being of low socioeconomic and education level, and refuse to attend harm reduction programs. © 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.