Alcohol use among HIV-positive women of childbearing age, United States, 2013–2014

ABSTRACT

More than one-quarter of the adults living with diagnosed HIV infection in the US are women. Binge drinking (i.e., ≥4 alcoholic drinks per occasion for women) is associated with poor HIV treatment compliance, HIV incidence, and unplanned pregnancy. However, little is known about the prevalence of binge drinking among women of childbearing age who are living with HIV (WLWH) and health risk behaviours among those who binge drink. Using the 2013–2014 data cycles of Medical Monitoring Project, we assessed the weighted prevalence of drinking patterns by socio-demographic, clinical and reproductive characteristics of 946 WLWH. Logistic regression was used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Overall, 39% of WLWH reported current drinking and 10% reported binge drinking. Compared to non-drinkers, binge drinkers were less likely to adhere to antiretroviral therapy (ART) or be virally suppressed. In multivariate analyses, binge drinking among WLWH was associated with smoking, drug use, and reduced ART adherence compared to non-drinkers, increasing the likelihood of negative clinical outcomes. WLWH may benefit from a comprehensive approach to reducing binge drinking including alcohol screening and brief interventions and evidence-based policy strategies that could potentially improve adherence to HIV treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV
• women
• alcohol consumption
• binge drinking
• pregnancy

Acknowledgments

We thank participating Medical Monitoring Project patients, facilities, project areas, and Provider and Community Advisory Board members. We also acknowledge the contributions of the Clinical Outcomes Team and Behavioral and Clinical Surveillance Branch at CDC and the MMP 2013–2014 project areas (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/systems/mmp/resources.html). Funding for the Medical Monitoring Project is provided by a cooperative agreement (PS09-937) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for the Medical Monitoring Project is provided by a cooperative agreement (PS09-937) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. The findings and conclusions in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.