Alcohol use, sexual risk behavior and STIs among married men in Mumbai, India

This paper examines the relationship of frequency, type of alcohol use, sexual risk behaviors and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among married men living in economically marginal communities in Mumbai, India. The findings indicate that men who consume alcohol daily were four times more likely to have had extramarital sex in the past 12 months. In terms of sexually transmitted infections, men who were daily drinkers were four times more likely than those not consuming alcohol in the last month to have gonorrhea (NG) and Chlamydia (CT) infection and three times more likely to have had a past history of exposure to herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) and/or syphilis as determined by biological testing. These results demonstrate that men with daily alcohol use are at greatest risk for STIs and need to be targeted for community outreach, de-addiction services and sex risk reduction education program in India and elsewhere.