1. Drug use during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic: observations from repeated cross-sectional surveys of sexual minority men in the US active on social networking applications.
- Author
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Starks, Tyrel J., Hillesheim, Joseph R., Castiblanco, Juan, Cain, Demetria, and Stephenson, Rob
- Subjects
SUBSTANCE abuse ,MOBILE apps ,CROSS-sectional method ,IMMUNIZATION ,STATISTICAL significance ,RESEARCH funding ,MULTIPLE regression analysis ,PSYCHOLOGY of men ,MULTIVARIATE analysis ,COVID-19 vaccines ,CHI-squared test ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,ODDS ratio ,SOCIAL networks ,MATHEMATICAL models ,RESEARCH ,SEXUAL minorities ,THEORY ,CANNABIS (Genus) ,HEALTH equity ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,DATA analysis software ,COVID-19 pandemic ,COVID-19 ,DRUGS of abuse - Abstract
Studies conducted early in the COVID-19 pandemic - before vaccines were widely available - indicated that drug use may have declined among sexual minority men (SMM). This study evaluated drug use trends in the second year of the pandemic. Cross-sectional responses from cisgender SMM living in the US and recruited online (n = 15,897) were grouped for analyses: Time 1: 3/1/2021-5/30/2021; Time 2: 6/1/2021-8/31/2021; Time 3: 9/1/2021-11/30/2021; and Time 4: 12/1 2021-2/28/2022. Results of multivariable models indicated that illicit drug use (excluding cannabis) increased at Times 2 (OR = 1.249, p <.001), 3 (OR = 1.668, p <.001), and 4 (OR = 1.674, p <.001) compared to Time 1. In contrast, cannabis use was relatively stable over time. Rates did not differ significantly among Times 1, 2, and 4. While rates of COVID-19 vaccination increased over time, illicit drug use was negatively associated with the odds of vaccination (OR = 0.361, p <.001). These findings highlight the need for ongoing attention to the risks drug use poses among SMM. Illicit drug use - a long-standing health disparity among SMM - increased significantly across the second year of the pandemic. Because they are less likely to be vaccinated, SMM who use illicit drugs may be at greater risk of COVID-19 infection or complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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