Population-Based Study of Tobacco Use Among People Living With HIV in Puerto Rico

ABSTRACT

Background: Despite substantial advances in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy, HIV-positive persons are at high risk of tobacco-related disease and mortality. This study describes the prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with current tobacco use among HIV-positive men and women 18 years and older receiving HIV care in Puerto Rico. Methods: Data from the 2009 Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) was used. A three-stage sampling design was conducted to obtain annual cross-sectional probability samples of HIV-infected adults in care. Factors associated with current tobacco use were identified using logistic regression models. All analyses were performed using STATA version 11.0. Results: The estimated prevalence of current cigarette use among the population was 29.0% (95%CI: 23.5%–35.2%), daily smoking was reported in 76.7% of them. Multivariate logistic regression models, showed that male drug users (injected and noninjected) were up to nine times more likely to be current smokers (OR = 9.9; 95%CI = 3.1, 31.5) as compared to nonusers. Conclusion: Findings highlight the need for smoking cessation strategies in this population, particularly among male HIV+ drug users.

KEYWORDS:

• ART
• HIV
• MMP
• Puerto Rico
• tobacco

Acknowledgment

This project was fully supported by 5U1BPS003245-05.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease and Control.