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National HIV Prevention Conference
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[TITLE:] AMPHETAMINE (METH) USE TRENDS AT THE LOS ANGELES GAY & LESBIAN CENTER'S HIV COUNSELING AND TESTING PROGRAM FROM 2001 TO 2004
Natl HIV Prev Conf. 2005 Jun 12-15 (abstract no. M1-B0604)
Amezola De Herrera, P
Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, Los Angeles, CA
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center (LAGLC) for more than 30 years, been a central location where the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning) community can obtain culturally sensitive services. It is a well known fact that the LGBTQ community is greatly impacted by the HIV epidemic. LAGLC’s HIV Counseling and Testing sees over 6,000 clients every year. Among men who have sex with men (MSM), the number of newly diagnosed HIV infections has increased in Los Angeles County. MSM using amphetamines with sex may be one of the predictors associated with this increase. This investigation will describe amphetamine trends from 2001 to 2004. Additionally, we will investigate if HIV positive MSM clients report higher rates of amphetamine use with sex compared to their negative counterparts.
METHODS: We examined amphetamineuse among MSM frequenting LAGLC’s HIV Counseling and Testing Program (HCTP).MSM were defined as men who reported having sex with men in the last 2 years. From 2001 to 2004 there were 19,071 records available from MSM clients who were tested, counseled and completed an HIV 5 form. The HIV 5 form is a standardized survey created by the Office of AIDS Programs and Policy, Department of Health Services in the state of California.
RESULTS: MSM using amphetamines almost doubled from 2001 (5.77%) to 2004 (10.35%). Of the MSM reporting .meth.use in 2001, 221 (72.93%) reported using amphetamines with sex versus in 2004, 425 (86.56%). Overall, 910 (4.77%) MSM were reactive for HIV antibodies. Furthermore, we observed an increase of meth use among HIV positive MSM; in 2001, 11.71% of the HIV positive MSM reported using amphetamines compared to 30.23% in 2004. Among MSM who reported using meth with sex, 89% were HIV positive compared to 83% who were HIV negative.
CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary trend analysis from 2001 to 2004 indicates that amphetamines are widely used among MSM visiting LAGLC to test for HIV. More importantly, amphetamine use among MSM is increasing especially among MSM who use this drug with sex. This analysis demonstrates the value of coupling HIV counseling and testing services with substance abuse interventions. Additionally, HIV positive MSM use of amphetamines is also increasing. This finding supports CDC's efforts to target their prevention programs for HIV positive MSM and is a good indicator that clinics treating HIV patients could benefit from substance use prevention and education programs.
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050612
M1-B0604
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