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Correlates of gonorrhoea among African Americans in North Carolina.
International Journal of STD & AIDS 2007; 18:114-117.
Doherty IA, Adimora AA, Schoenbach VJ, Aral SO.
Abstract
Rates of gonorrhoea (GC) infections are highest among African Americans in
the USA, but risk factors for GC in this population have not been well defined.
The purpose of this study was to study these risk factors. We used secondary
analysis of cross-sectional data from a population-based case-control study
of African Americans, aged 18-59 years, in rural North Carolina, USA. A history
of past infection was 2.4 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3, 4.4) as
likely among men (35%) than women (18%). Among men, a history of gonorrhoea
was associated with earlier age at first intercourse (adjusted Odds Ratio
[aOR] = 2.0 95% CI [1.2, 3.4]), substance use (aOR = 4.4 95% CI [1.1, 17.9]),
and having a partner who had been incarcerated (aOR = 18.1 [2.8, 118.0]).
Among women, factors associated with GC included diagnosis of another STD
(aOR = 5.9 [1.9, 16.9]), lifetime number of sex partners (aOR = 1.9 [1.1,
3.4]), and a sex partner who used drugs (aOR = 4.1 (1.3, 12.9)). In conclusion,
African Americans with a history of GC are likely to have traditional STD
risk factors, including partners at high risk for sexually transmitted disease
(STD). STD screening is warranted upon entry to treatment facilities for substance
abuse or correctional facilities.