Determinants of alcohol use before casual sex among men in Ghana

Alcohol use before sex may serve as a conduit for engaging in unsafe sexual practices such as unprotected sex, with attendant implications for HIV transmissions. Using data from the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), this study assessed the socio-demographic, economic and spatial predictors of alcohol use before casual sex among men in Ghana. With the PRECEDE framework as a conceptual guide, binary logistic regression models were run to assess the phenomenon. The results indicate that men older than 40 years were significantly more likely to use alcohol before casual sex. It also became evident that never married men, widowers or divorced men, as well as men in union but no living with their partners were significantly more likely to use alcohol before casual sex. Further, a significant inverse association was observed between men with exposure to television and alcohol use before sex. The study demonstrates the alcohol-casual sex linkage, thereby underscoring the need to incorporate alcohol related sexual risk-taking in HIV prevention programmes and efforts.