Carolina gays: Study says 6% have used meth, more likely to be HIV positive
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, the big hospital in my hometown of Winston-Salem, has released the results of a study they did on gay men, HIV and the use of crystal meth.
The new study, reported in the August issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs, found that 6% of the interviewed participants had used crystal meth in the past six months, a number significantly lower than those of more urban areas but higher than the 0.2% of the general population who use the drug. The study found that those interviewed were also more likely to report being “HIV-positive, having a history of STDs, being inconsistent condom users during anal sex within the previous three months, and using medications designed to treat erectile dysfunction.”
According to MedPageToday, the study included 1189 North Carolina gay men (or men who have sex with men) with 741 men interviewed in five gay bars in 2005 and 448 who completed an assessment online. The study was ethnically diverse with “34.5% identifying themselves as black or African American, 32.1% as white, 24.6% as Hispanic or Latino, and smaller percentages as Hawaiian, Indian, or Asian. The average age was 29.12.”
According to the press release from Wake Forest Baptist Medical, “Participants were recruited in 2005 in five gay bars and in five geographically defined internet chat rooms in central North Carolina (primarily rural/suburban areas) and were asked to complete a brief assessment of drug use and other risk behaviors.”
The press release also stated:
In addition to being more inclined to risky sexual behaviors, the study participants who said they used methamphetamines were also more likely to report having higher education and health insurance coverage.
“Because users of methamphetamines were more likely to have higher educational levels and report having health insurance, we must change the way we think about meth users and develop sophisticated prevention strategies that are appropriate for these types of users,” noted [lead author Scott D. Rhodes, Ph.D. M.P.H., associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy.] “In addition, the link between meth use and the use of drugs for sexual dysfunction among a young population deserves attention. Meth use in combination with one of these medications may be having an even more profound impact on the HIV and STD disease epidemics in the South.”
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. U.S. News & World Report ranks Wake Forest University School of Medicine 18th in family medicine, 20th in geriatrics, 25th in primary care and 41st in research among the nation’s medical schools. It ranks 35th in research funding by the National Institutes of Health. Almost 150 members of the medical school faculty are listed in Best Doctors in America.
Technorati Tags: Gay, crystal meth, HIV, medical study, survey, Wake Forest University, WFU, Baptist Hospital, WFUBMC, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Matt, 22, is an LGBT journalist, activist and youth advocate currently living and working in Charlotte, N.C., where he serves as the Editor of Q-Notes, the Carolinas' LGBT news source. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Matt attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is still continuing to pursue his bachelors degree. He is the Owner & Editor of InterstateQ.com and has been active in LGBT advocacy work since the age of 14.
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