Drug and alcohol consumption and sexual risk behaviour among young adults:results from a national survey

To study the association of the consumption of alcohol and other psychoacti ve drugs with sexual risk behaviour for HIV infection, data from a represen tative sample of the Spanish population aged 18-39 years were analysed. A n ational household survey was carried out in 1996 using a combination of fac e-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires. The survey inclu ded 5253 subjects aged 18-39 years who provided information on alcohol and drug consumption, number of sexual partners and condom use with the steady partner and with casual partners in the 12 months before the survey. Of tho se surveyed, 27.4% had been drunk at least once and 20.5% had consumed drug s. Both behaviours were associated with male sex, younger age, higher educa tional level, being single and having had more than one sexual partner. In the logistic regression analysis adjusting for the sociodemographic variabl es, the greater frequency of drunkenness and cannabis use were associated w ith having more than one sexual partner. Regular condom use was significant ly less frequent among cocaine users and more frequent among opiate users, but was not associated with the use of other drugs. Sexual risk behaviour ( i.e. more than one partner and failure to use a condom regularly) was more frequent among persons who had been drunk or used cannabis or cocaine. Exce ssive consumption of alcohol, and cannabis and cocaine use are independentl y associated with sexual behaviour involving greater risk of HIV infection or transmission. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved .