Authors: 

Munyaradzi Mapingure, Innocent Chingombe, Tafadzwa Dzinamarira, Chesterfield Samba, Brian Moyo, Owen Mugurungi, Godfrey Musuka

From the publication: 

Data from our study on HIV and sexually transmissible infection (STI) biobehavioural surveys (BBS) among MSM in Zimbabwe were used to explore the sexual behaviours and health outcomes among MSM who use drugs in Zimbabwe. Drug use definition was use of injectable or non-injectable drugs or medicine for pleasure or for reasons not recommended by a doctor. We hypothesised that MSM who use drugs have poor health and social outcomes compared to those who do not use drugs. The study was a cross-sectional BBS using respondent-driven sampling. Consenting participants completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic and HIV risk behaviours. They underwent biomarker testing, including rapid testing for HIV, hepatitis B (HBV), and syphilis. HIV-positive patients were tested for CD4, viral load, and recent HIV infection via the rapid test for recent HIV infection. STATA® statistical package version (StataCorp LLC, College Station, Texas, United States [US]; 2021) was used to compare differences between people who use drugs and those who do not. Chi-square tests were used for categorical variables, while Student’s t-test was used for continuous variables. The significance level was set at P = 0.05. Simple proportions were used for descriptive statistics.