The relationship between spirituality/religiousness and unhealthy alcohol use among HIV-infected adults in southwestern Uganda
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Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AIDS and Behavior
Abstract
HIV and alcohol use are two serious and co-existing problems in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined the relationship between spirituality and/or religiousness (SR) and unhealthy alcohol use among treatment-naïve HIV-infected adults attending the HIV clinic in Mbarara, Uganda. Unhealthy alcohol was defined as having either an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption score of ≥4 for men or ≥3 for women, or having a phosphatidylethanol level of ≥50ng/ml based on analysis of dried blood-spot specimens. Of the 447 participants, 67.8% were female; the median age was 32 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 27–40). About half reported being Protestant (49.2%), 35.1 % Catholic, and 9.2% Muslim. The median SR score was high (103 [IQR: 89–107]); 43.3% drank at unhealthy levels. Higher SR scores were associated with lower odds of unhealthy drinking (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.83 per standard deviation [SD] increase; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66–1.03). The “religious behavior” SR sub-scale was significantly associated with unhealthy alcohol use (aOR: 0.72 per SD increase; 95% CI 0.58–0.88). Religious institutions, which facilitate expression of religious behavior, may be helpful in promoting and maintaining lower levels of alcohol use.
Description
Keywords
Spirituality/Religiousness, Alcohol, HIV, Phosphatidylethanol, Uganda
Citation
Adong, J., Lindan, C., Fatch, R., Emenyonu, N. I., Muyindike, W. R., Ngabirano, C., ... & Hahn, J. A. (2018). The relationship between spirituality/religiousness and unhealthy alcohol use among HIV-infected adults in Southwestern Uganda. AIDS and Behavior, 22(6), 1802-1813. doi:10.1007/s10461-017-1805-7