Predictors of HIV Risk Among Men Seeking Treatment for Substance Abuse in India

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and correlates of HIV risk among men receiving treatment for substance abuse in India. Consecutive inpatients from the major substance abuse hospital in southern India were screened using a structured interview and standardized measures to obtain demographic, psychiatric, sexual behavior, and substance use data at the time of admission. Seventy-seven percent of the 352 men who were screened reported that they were sexually active during the past year, and 13 % reported that they had engaged in sexual practices associated with greater risk. The most common risk practices in the past year included having multiple sexual partners (7%), paying for sex (5%), and having unprotected anal sex (4%). Engaging in risky sexual practices was associated with the presence of a co-occurring psychiatric disorder and higher scores on a drug abuse screening measure. Assessing HIV risk in substance abuse settings can help to identify patients who may benefit from HIV-risk reduction programs. KEY WORDS: HIV; India; risk behavior; substance use; men. In India, HIV disease is expanding at an alarming rate. Seroprevalence rates have risen from 0.56 % in 1993 to 8.7 % in 1999 at a sexually transmitted disease clini