Abstract
The French overseas territories in the Americas are the French territories most affected by HIV. Crack cocaine users are particularly impacted. The objective of this study was to describe sexual risk behaviors and inconsistent condom use among crack cocaine users. A total of 640 crack cocaine users were interviewed. The sampling method was non-probabilistic. An anonymous standardized questionnaire of 110 questions was used. Over a third of persons did not use condoms systematically with casual sex partners (36.2%) or commercial sex partners (32.3%), and 64% did not use condoms systematically with regular sex partners. In a context of multiple sexual partnerships, frequent forced sex, and insufficient HIV testing, the lack of systematic condom use may favor the spread of HIV. Different predictive factors of inconsistent condom use were identified, depending on the type of partner, with a log binomial regression. However, among the predictor variables identified, two predictive factors frequently occur among the different type of sex partners: high perceived risk of HIV and self-perceived capacity to persuade a sex partner to use condom. These results pointed towards interventions improving access to rights and raising perceived self-efficacy.
Introduction
French Guiana, Martinique and Guadeloupe are the French territories most affected by HIV, with an annual incidence of 59/100,000 person-years in 2009–2010 versus 17/100,000 in mainland France. 1 The epidemic probably predominates among vulnerable groups, notably crack cocaine users. The French territories in the Americas represent a hub of narcotics’ trafficking towards Europe. Consumption of crack cocaine is a widespread problem.2–5 The links between crack cocaine and HIV have been reported by several authors.6–8 These observations are consistent with the findings in the French territories where a study in 2011 at the addictology clinic in Cayenne showed an HIV prevalence of 15% among crack cocaine users. 9 Another study in French Guiana showed that 16.8% of HIV-positive patients had previously tried crack cocaine. 10 The link between crack and HIV is mostly explained by high risk sexual behaviors among crack cocaine users.6,11 Researchers often report low levels of condom use among crack cocaine users.7,12–14 A great variety of predictors of inconsistent condom use has been described in the literature, notably partner characteristics, school level, multiple sexual partnerships, financial dependence, intimate partner violence, partner refusal to use condom, living in a couple, desire to have a child, low empowerment, etc.13,15,16
In 2012, a cross-sectional study was conducted in Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana in order to describe the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and practices of crack cocaine users regarding HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The present study aimed to describe sexual risk behaviors and inconsistent condom use among crack cocaine users.
Materials and methods
Study population
The study population consisted of persons aged 18 or older having used crack cocaine (‘crack’) in the past three months. The data collection took place between March 2012 and September 2012. The sample size was 640 persons interviewed in French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique. These French territories are located in the West Indies for Guadeloupe (403,314 residents in 2012 according to the Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques) and Martinique (388,364 residents in 2012) and in South America for French Guiana (239,648 residents in 2012).
Study questionnaire
An anonymous structured questionnaire of 110 questions was used. Because of the large number of persons who do not speak French, the questionnaire was translated into five languages (French, Spanish, English, Portuguese and Haitian Creole) and the investigators spoke at least one of these languages. It notably explored sociodemographic characteristics, sexual history, condom use, sexual risk behaviors and crack use. This questionnaire was based on a behavioral surveillance survey questionnaire, which was adapted to the context with non-government associations (NGO) working in the field. 17 In order to avoid selection biases, 17 HIV status was not part of the questions asked.
Study conduct
Study participants were interrogated face to face by trained interviewers. Individual interviews were conducted confidentially. The surveyors were all close to the field, often working with NGOs.
The study was conducted in partnership with the regional coordination for the fight against HIV and different NGOs working in the field of addiction or HIV. The study was part of the project ‘Mise en place d’un observatoire intercaribéen du VIH’ supported by the University Hospital of Pointe-à-Pitre. The project was funded by the European INTERREG Caribbean IV programme, by Cayenne Hospital, the French NGO AIDES and the University Hospital of Pointe-à-Pitre.
Sampling method
The sampling scheme combined convenience sampling at NGO premises receiving crack cocaine users in French Guiana, Martinique and Guadeloupe (75% of inclusions), and snowball sampling outside these structures in order to reach crack cocaine users who do not frequent any structures (25% of inclusions). The target population size was estimated by the NGOs working with crack cocaine users at 4800, the sample size objective was 600, which was expected to measure a proportion of 50% with a 4% precision and 95% confidence interval. Crack cocaine users were interviewed in a confidential location within the recruitment centres.
At the end of the interview, documentation on HIV prevention, NGO contact information, male condoms, lubricant and a backpack were given to the participants in order to compensate for the time spent answering the questionnaire.
Data analysis
Data analysis consisted of a descriptive analysis of the variables: mean and standard deviation for normally distributed variables, median for the non-normal distributed variables, and frequencies and percentages for qualitative variables. Normality was verified using the Shapiro–Wilk test. Bivariate and multivariate regressions were performed and prevalence ratios were used to identify predictive factors for inconsistent condom use with regular, casual and commercial partners. Regular partners were defined as partners with whom the interviewed person had sexual intercourse with regularly during a six-month period, commercial partners were defined as partners with whom the person had sexual intercourse in exchange for money, services, goods or drugs, and casual partners were those who were not regular and not commercial. Variables with a p < 0.20 in the bivariate analyses were included in stepwise models in order to select variables for the final model. We wanted to estimate the prevalence ratios, and as odds ratios are distorted estimates of the relative risks when exposure prevalence is high, we calculated the prevalence ratios directly with a log binomial model. 18
Variance inflation factors were used to test for colinearity. Data were analyzed using STATA 13® (College Station, TX, USA).
Ethical and regulatory issues
The project was approved by the French regulatory authorities: the Comité d’Evaluation Ethique de l’INSERM (CEEI, avis no.12-056), the Comité Consultatif sur le Traitement de l’Information en matière de Recherche dans le domaine de la Santé (CCTIRS, n°12-084) at the French Ministry of Research and Higher Education, and the Commission Nationale Informatique et Liberté (CNIL, DR-2012-263).
Results
Sociodemographic characteristics
Overall, 640 crack cocaine users answered the questionnaire. Among them, 42% (n = 268) were interviewed in Guadeloupe, 41% (n = 265) in Martinique and 17% (n = 107) in French Guiana. The sample mostly included men (79%). The average age was 37.6 years (±9.5 years). Over three-quarters of the persons surveyed (77.3%) did not live as a couple, 37% had no one to rely on in case of difficulty, and 60% felt lonely, or very lonely.
The other nationalities mostly included Surinamese, Guyanese, Dominican, Brazilian, and Haitian nationals. Over one-third (37%) of respondents had no one to rely on in case of difficulty and 60% felt lonely, or very lonely. Over a third of them (37%) sometimes had difficulties in maintaining their personal hygiene (taking a shower, washing their clothes, etc.).
Socio-demographic characteristics of the surveyed crack cocaine users (n = 640).
16 is the age until which school is mandatory.
Sexuality and sexual risks
Of the 640 surveyed persons, 638 had previously had sex, 526 in the past 12 months. Nearly three-quarters of persons (74%) declared they were heterosexual, 4% declared they were homosexual, 12% declared they were bisexual and 10% did not wish to respond to that question. There were 232 persons (36.2%) who reported at least one commercial sex partner, 297 (46.4%) who reported at least one regular sex partner, and 246 persons (38.4%) who had a casual sex partner in the past 12 months. The persons surveyed reported a median number of 3.5 partners in the past 12 months (minimum number of partners: 0; maximum number of partners: 600). Nearly two-thirds (65.7%) declared having more than one sex partner during the past 12 months.
Seventy-one percent of crack cocaine users surveyed declared having used crack at least once during or before sexual intercourse in the past month. Nearly 19% had been forced to have sex, and this proportion was 53% among women and 10% among men (p < 0.001, Pearson’s Chi square test).
Nearly 10% of persons declared having had genital sores in the past 12 months (5.5% among men and 23.1% among women, p < 0.001, Pearson’s Chi square test), and among women 28% reported unusual vaginal discharge in the past 12 months. Over a quarter of persons (27%) had never performed an HIV test during their life.
We asked crack cocaine users to rate their own risk of contracting HIV, of whom nearly two-thirds (62%) of persons estimated they had a low risk of getting HIV because they had few partners or always used a condom.
Condom use
Condoms use in crack cocaine users with regular, casual and commercial partners.
Differences between N and the sum of the two categories are due to non-responses.
The reasons given for not using condoms varied according to the type of partner. For regular partners, half of the participants mentioned trust in their partner (51.4%). For commercial sex partners, 22% of responders said the partner did not want to use any. Finally, for casual sex partners, other reasons are given such as use of crack or alcohol (24%).
Over 10% of the surveyed population did not think they could propose, or did not know if they would be able to propose condom use with a sex partner. A third (33.9%) of the sample did not think they could insist and persuade their sex partner to use a condom if he/she initially refused.
Bivariate analysis regarding inconsistent condom use.
Bold values are significant < 0.20. a16 years is the age until which school is mandatory.
Predictive factors of inconsistent condom use during the past 12 months with regular, casual and commercial partners.
Note: The fitness of the models was measured with the ratio deviance/degrees of freedom. Models fit well with a ratio below 1. Variance inflation factors ranged from 1.08 to 1.97 far below the threshold of 4.
Ratio D/df = 0.505 and 64 missing values.
Ratio D/df = 0.597 and 33 missing values.
Ratio D/df = 0.568 and 44 missing values.
16 is the age until which school is mandatory.
Discussion
Although great attention was given to minimizing the risks of non representativeness, the sampling method used was non-probabilistic and combined two recruitment techniques; thus, given the risks of selection biases, the present results cannot be extrapolated to all crack cocaine users in the area. Moreover, the study was designed as a knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices (KABP) survey. Responses were based on declarative data, which are potentially impacted by response and memory biases.17,19,20 The study was cross sectional, which implies some limitations. This type of study cannot prove cause and effect relationships, and the timing of this snapshot is not guaranteed to be representative. 21
Despite these limitations, the present results are among the first to focus on HIV among crack cocaine users in the French overseas territories in the Americas. Although NGOs working in the field of addiction work with crack cocaine users, their actions are not centered on HIV. Similarly, HIV prevention and testing NGOs are not necessarily centered on crack users. The present results reemphasize the high risk of this population in the surveyed territories and the importance of specific prevention. It also suggests some interventional strategies that could guide prevention efforts.
Cumulated vulnerabilities
The persons surveyed were often in very precarious situations. Generally, crack consumption is very stigmatized and persons become quickly isolated from society.22,23 This is also the case in the studied French overseas territories,3,4 where half of them did not work, and a third lived in precarious conditions (squat, street, spontaneous habitat, etc.). Few crack cocaine users lived in a couple, many had no one to rely on in case of difficulties, and often suffered from loneliness. Stigmatization induces barriers for access to rights and health.22,24 In the present study, one-third of the surveyed persons had no valid health insurance at the time of the survey.
Irregular use of condoms and cumulated risks
The use of condoms was not consistent among those surveyed, and they did not use condoms systematically with their regular partner, as observed in the general population. 25 However, over a third of persons did not use condoms systematically with casual sex partners or commercial sex partners. In the context of multiple sexual partnerships, frequent forced sex, and insufficient HIV testing, the lack of systematic condom use may favor the spread of HIV.
The predictive factors of non-systematic condom use were studied for each type of sex partner with different risk factors. Thus with regular partners, living as a couple was linked to inconsistent use of condoms for multiple reasons (difficulty in negotiating condom use, fear of breaking trust with regular partners and bringing discord in the couple, desire to have a child, decrease of sexual satisfaction with condom use, crack and/or alcohol use, etc.).16,26,27 However, having multiple sex partners was associated with systematic condom use with the regular partner, suggesting that persons were aware of the risks associated with multiple sex partners.
The factors associated with non-systematic condom use with casual sex partners were more linked to social precariousness. Hence, living in precarious housing or having difficulties in maintaining personal hygiene were associated with non-systematic condom use. The association between socioeconomic level and consistent condom use was already described in the literature. 28
Non-systematic condom use with commercial sex partners was negatively correlated with leaving school before 16, an unexpected and unexplained finding given that the reverse is usually described. 29 Further investigations would be required to explain this finding.
Risk perception and perceived self-efficacy
Despite these differences, two predictive factors of non-systematic condom use were found for almost all types of sex partners. Although several studies clearly show that a high perception of one’s risk of getting HIV is associated with change towards less risky sexual behaviors,30,31 the present study found that perception of one’s high risk of getting HIV was linked to non-systematic condom use. Persons thus presumably inferred their high risk because they did not use condoms, but did not change their high risk behavior. Social, cultural or pharmacological factors may have sustained the risky behavior.32,33 There seemed to be a gap between one’s perception of sexual risk and one’s preventive attitudes, notably condom use.
Self-perceived capacity to persuade a sex partner to use a condom was negatively associated with non-systematic condom use with casual and commercial sex partners. Thus, it seems that when persons felt capable of negotiating condom use with the partner, they used condoms more systematically. Self-perceived capacity is often cited as an important element to adapt health behaviors.27,34,35 It is a component of various behavioral theories, such as the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, or the stages of change model.36–41 The perceived self-efficacy may be affected in situations of stigma, addiction, and violent relations.22,42,43 Over a third of surveyed persons thus did not feel capable of insisting that a sex partner use a condom. Reinforcing this perception of self-efficacy could thus be an important intervention target, notably regarding negotiation skills and condom use.
Prevention strategies
These results may thus help optimize HIV prevention among crack cocaine users. Behavioral change may be achieved by acting on different levels44,45 notably at the individual and institutional levels to improve access to rights and access to care.
At the individual level, risk reduction is a priority. 46 Improving self-perceived capacity and reducing stigma may help reduce risky sex behaviors among drug users.34,47
At the institutional level, the objective should be to achieve risk reduction by reducing obstacles and improving social and physical environments to facilitate access to rights for crack cocaine users.46,48
Conclusion
This is the first HIV KABP study of crack cocaine users, one of the most at risk populations for HIV. The study shows frequent multiple partnerships, commercial sex, and insufficient condom use and HIV testing. Although inconsistent condom use rates are slightly lower than those found in the literature (about 60% reported by Sherman 13 and 56% reported by Booth 7 ), they are in the same order of magnitude and remain a significant problem in this population. Although sexual behaviors and risk-taking differ significantly from one type of partner to another, few studies take this into consideration. Studies differentiating types of partners are needed in this population. The results thus emphasize the importance of implementing specific HIV prevention interventions in this population. Among the predictor variables identified, those linked to self-efficacy pointed towards interventions improving access to rights and raising perceived self-efficacy.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Barbara Gontier, Stéphane Barboza, Katia Delagneau, Jérôme Evanno and Arlette Suzanne, field coordinators, Marcus Day and the Caribbean Drug Abuse Research Institute in Saint-Lucia, the project team and all the participants of the study.
Declaration of conflicting interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This present study was supported by the European INTERREG Caribbean IV Fund, by the Hospital of Cayenne, by the NGO AIDES and by the University Hospital of Pointe-à-Pitre.
