摘要：Drinking among HIV-positive individuals increases risks of disease progression and possibly sexual transmission. We examined whether state alcohol sales policies are associated with drinking and sexual risk among people living with HIV. In a multivariate analysis combining national survey and state policy data, we found that HIV-positive residents of states allowing liquor sales in drug and grocery stores had 70% to 88% greater odds of drinking, daily drinking, and binge drinking than did HIV-positive residents of other states. High-risk sexual activity was more prevalent in states permitting longer sales hours (7% greater odds for each additional hour). Restrictive alcohol sales policies may reduce drinking and transmission risk in HIV-positive individuals. More than 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV, 1 and about 56 000 people are newly infected each year. 2 Approximately one half of those who have had positive test results for HIV drink alcohol; about 1 in 6 regularly binge drinks. 3 Drinking in this population is associated with poor treatment adherence, 4 , 5 disease progression, 6 – 8 and spread of the virus through risky sexual activity. 9 – 12 Thus, reducing drinking and problem drinking among HIV-positive individuals is an important public health goal. Alcohol sales policies may be 1 tool for accomplishing this. Research has linked geographic variations in off-premise alcohol sales practices (e.g., regulations regarding the sale of alcohol in stores) to drinking and drinking problems in the general population. 13 Other types of alcohol regulation have been linked to sexual health. 14 – 16 Sales policies may influence drinking and sexual activity by making purchases inconvenient or affecting where and when people drink. 17 – 20 We investigated (1) whether findings linking off-premise sales policies to drinking extend to those living with HIV (who have unique demographic characteristics, drinking patterns, and life circumstances) and (2) whether off-premise sales policies predict sexual risk behavior in this group.
