Patterns of Methamphetamine and PolyDrug Use in a GymAttending Sample of Gay and Bisexual Men Perry

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Patterns of Methamphetamine and Poly-Drug Use in
a Gym-Attending Sample of Gay and Bisexual
MenPerry N. Halkitis, Ph.D.perry.halkitis_at_nyu.
edu
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AIMS

• Describe methamphetamine use in a sample of
  health seeking gay and bisexual men.
• To understand methamphetamine use in this
  population in terms of key demographic states
  including HIV status.

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Center for Health, Identity, Behavior
Prevention Studies (CHIBPS)

• Focuses on the synergy of HIV, mental health and
  drug abuse
• How do we understand the challenges of being HIV
  and HIV-?
• How do identities such as HIV or HIV- intersect
  with identities of gender, sexual orientation,
  race, ethnicity and culture?
• How do these understandings suggest prevention
  and intervention strategies?
• Health, Identity, Behavior, Prevention

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Project Pump Overview

• Cross sectional study of gay and bisexual men who
  attend gyms in NYC.
• Based on studies conducted by Elford, et al.
• Sampling gay men from alternative venues,
  avoiding an over-reliance on substance abuse
  treatment facilities, medical clinics, ASOs, and
  traditional gay venues (bars and dance clubs).
• Collaboration with the NYC Dept. of Health and
  Mental Hygiene and the CDC.

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Recruitment

• Participants recruited using both active and
  passive recruiting in and around gyms in NYC.
• Active recruitment strategies included handing
  out palm cards in front of gyms.
• Passive recruitment strategies included
  informational tear-off sheets, print advertising
  and internet posting.
• Participants were required to call and be
  screened.
• Screening criteria included living and having a
  gym membership in NYC, attending the gym at least
  1time in 6 months, and having had sex with
  another man in the past 6 months.

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Recruitment Material
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Sample

• 493 people were screened.
• 82 (n 405) were eligible.
• 311 participants completed the computer
  administered survey in our research center.
• Mean age 39 (SD 9.79) and ranged from 19 to 63.

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Race/Ethnicity
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Sexual Orientation
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HIV Status
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Educational Attainment
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Annual Income
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Study Measures

• Self-reported recreational drug use over the last
  6-months.
• Self-reported sexual behavior over the last
  6-months stratified by partner type (main/casual)
  and partner HIV status (HIV-/HIV/HIV UK).
• Mental health (Brief symptom inventory, UCLA
  loneliness scale, and active and avoidant
  coping).
• Psychosocial states (Perceived benefits of
  barebacking, conceptions of masculinity scale,
  and body image).
• Gym behaviors.

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Substance Use
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Substance Use
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Meth Use Characteristics

• Frequency
• Almost a quarter of the men (23.8) reported meth
  use in the 6-months prior to assessment (74/311)
• Range of use 1 to 96 days (M 12.80, SD
  19.10) with a median of 5 days.
• 60.8 indicated 5 or fewer days of use
• 58 indicated weekend use as typical
• 16 indicated both weekend and weekday use typical

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Meth Users

• Race
• Black and Latino men showed higher rates then
  White men (28.1 vs. 30.4 vs. 15.2)
• Asian pacific Islanders reported a high usage
  (47.1), however the sample size was small (n
  17)
• HIV Status
• HIV men were more likely to report meth use than
  HIV- men (32.4 vs. 20.9)
• Age, Education, Income, Gym Behaviors
• No differences were found in regard to age,
  education, annual income or gym frequency.

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Modes of Administration
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Psychosocial Comparisons
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Poly Drug Use

• Days of meth use was related to days of
• Cocaine use (rs from .22 to .29)
• Inhalant nitrates (r .12)
• MDMA use (r .62)
• GHB use (r .45)
• Ketamine use (r .32)

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Major Findings

• Project PUMP was the first study of its kind to
  examine methamphetamine and other drug use in gay
  and bisexual gym-attending men in NYC.
• High levels of substance use among gym-attending
  men who could be considered to be engaging in
  health-enhancing behaviors.
• Data indicates a shift in levels of meth use
  among gay and bisexual men of color.

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Major Findings

• Data supports previous findings regarding
  depression and the complex synergy between meth
  use, sexual behavior and conceptions of
  masculinity.
• Need to address methamphetamine use in HIV
  prevention efforts.
• Further research needs to be done on HIV,
  methamphetamine and minority populations.

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Limitations

• Convenience sample
• Self-reported data
• Limited sample size
• While our data suggest that poly-substance use is
  common, we have no indication of which
  combinations men are using, or how these
  combinations vary across demographic groups.