Alcohol Use among Chinese Men Who Have Sex with Men: An Epidemiological Survey and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The HIV/AIDS epidemic among Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM) has become a significant public health concern. Knowledge of alcohol consumption in this population is limited. In this study, 1,155 Chinese MSM were surveyed to assess alcohol use and its correlates. A meta-analysis was also performed to aggregate pooled prevalence of current alcohol use. MSM who were unmarried (aOR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.29–2.71) or unemployed/retired (aOR: 2.77; 95% CI: 1.73–4.45) were more likely to drink alcohol more than once per week. MSM who consumed alcohol more than once per week were more likely to use drug(P<0.01), have sex with women(P<0.01), have unprotected insertive(P=0.04)or receptive(P=0.03)anal sex with men, have more than 10 lifetime male sex partners(P<0.01), predominantly practice insertive anal sex(P<0.01), and trade sex for money(P<0.01). Pooled overall alcohol use prevalence was 32%. Pooled prevalence for MSM who drank alcohol more than once per week and who drank alcohol before sex with male partners was 23%. Our findings provide the basis for further exploring the alcohol-HIV association and developing risk reduction interventions.