Background: Binge drinking (BD) is common in Peru, but may not be routinely detected by standard assessments of hazardous drinking. Objectives: We describe prevalence and risk behaviors of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) in Peru who met criteria for BD as compared with those who met criteria for hazardous drinking. Methods: In a cross-sectional sample of MSM and TW from Lima (2012-2014), we calculated prevalence of BD (consuming ≥6 alcoholic drinks per occasion by AUDIT-3 criteria), conducted bivariate analyses of associations of BD with demographic and behavioral characteristics, and compared prevalence and behaviors of BD to those of hazardous drinkers (identified by AUDIT-10 criteria). Results: Of 1,520 MSM (n = 1,384) and TW (n = 137) with median age 27 years, 74.4% of MSM and 86.9% of TW met criteria for BD. Among MSM, BD was associated with a greater li...

To improve understanding of factors associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) and explore its role in sexually transmitted infection (STI) acquisition, we analyzed partnership-level correlates of IPV among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) in Peru. In a 2017 cross-sectional study of rectal STI screening and HIV prevention, MSM/TW completed a sociobehavioral survey addressing demographic characteristics, sexual risk behaviors, and substance use, and were tested for rectal gonorrhea and chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. Generalized estimating equations estimated individual- and partner-level correlates of IPV. Of 576 participants (median age, 27 years), 7.9% (36/456) of MSM and 15.0% (18/120) of TW reported IPV with ≥ 1 of their last three partners. MSM/TW reporting IPV were more likely to meet criteria for an alcohol use disorder (74.1%) than participants repo...

Personalized cognitive counseling (PCC) is an evidence-based intervention designed to modify HIV-related risk behavior. We assessed the impact of PCC on sexual behavior, drinking expectancy, and incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in a 6-month randomized controlled trial among 153 HIV-uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) in Peru. Study retention was ≥ 90%, with three HIV infections (3 Control) and 19 cases of GC/CT (10 Control, 9 PCC) at 6 months. There was a decline in condomless receptive anal intercourse in the Control (0.74, 95% CI 0.60-0.91; p < 0.01) and PCC arms (0.72, 0.55-0.94; p = 0.02) at 6-month follow-up. There was a decrease in drinking expectancy at 6 months among participants endorsing alcohol use in the PCC arm (0.89, 0.83-0.96; p < 0.01), versus no change in the Control arm (0.98, 0.92-1.04; p = 0.54). PCC was efficacio...