Association between alcohol use and sexually transmitted infection incidence among kenyan women engaged in transactional sex.

Few prospective studies have evaluated the association between alcohol use and STI acquisition among African women. We examined the association between baseline drinking frequency and STIs in a cohort of Kenyan women reporting transactional sex. The association between alcohol use and STI differed significantly by HIV status. Among 139 HIV-positive women, STI acquisition was significantly associated with consuming 1-7 drinks/week and marginally associated with ≥8 drinks/week in unadjusted analyses. However, no association between alcohol use and STIs was observed among 335 HIV-negative women. Addressing alcohol use within comprehensive HIV care may also reduce the burden of STIs among high-risk women.