Objective: We characterized lifetime drinking trajectories among persons living with HIV (PLWH) and examined how trajectories are related to health.
Method: Adults (ages 20-71) were recruited between 2015 and 2017 for a cohort study examining the impact of alcohol use on geriatric comorbidities in PLWH in New Orleans. The New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV (NOAH) Study (n = 356; 68.8% male) included in-person interviews, anthropometric measurements, and biospecimen collection. Average monthly drinks per decade of life was derived from participants' reported average quantity and frequency of alcoholic beverages for each decade. Health indicators included CD4 count, viral load, health-related quality of life, frailty, comorbidities, body mass index, heavy drinking, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Participants also reported lifetime experiences with homelessness and incarceration. Latent curve modeling was applied in MPlus to derive lifetime drinking trajectories. Latent trajectory parameters were modeled as predictors of physical, mental, and social health, controlling for demographics.
Results: Alcohol consumption increased significantly between the teen years and midlife (31-40), declining thereafter through ages 50-60. Significant interindividual differences were observed in all trajectory parameters. Persons with higher starting points of alcohol consumption showed worse mental health (depression and anxiety) and social experiences (homelessness and incarceration history) at study baseline. A steeper increase in volume of alcohol consumption after ages 10-20 was associated with worse health-related quality of life, greater frailty and comorbidities, and greater odds of current heavy drinking.
Conclusions: Understanding lifetime alcohol consumption patterns is important in addressing physical and mental health among adult PLWH.