Thursday 22 December 2011

Correlation of the year: Drinking encourages unsafe sex



If you thought the biggest science stories of 2011 concerned faster-than-light neutrinos, the Higgs Boson or the discovery of ever more exoplanets, you would be wrong.

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada have performed a meta-analysis of 12 previously conducted experiments and found that drinking alcohol makes people want to have unsafe sex. Their paper, Alcohol consumption and the intention to engage in unprotected sex: systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies, published in the journal Addiction, showed that alcohol consumption directly impacts a person’s intention to have unsafe sex. That is, the more you drink, the stronger becomes your intention to engage in unsafe sex.

Well I never. Generations of children owe their lives to this phenomenon!

The researchers were actually testing something a little more subtle than this appears. They wanted to test whether alcohol consumption influenced the contraction of HIV via unsafe sex, or whether certain personality traits, such as a disposition to risky behaviour, would lead to both alcohol use and unsafe sex - that is, if the unsafe sex would have happened anyway, regardless of alcohol.

They found that the more people drank, the worse the decisions they made. An increase in blood alcohol level of 0.1 mg/mL led to a 5% increase in the likelihood of unprotected sex.

"Drinking has a causal effect on the likelihood to engage in unsafe sex, and thus should be included as a major factor in preventive efforts for HIV," said principal investigator Juergen Rehm in a statement. "This result also helps explain why people at risk often show this behaviour despite better knowledge: alcohol is influencing their decision processes."

So remember this over the holidays at your work Christmas parties when your boss starts to look good after 8 beers. And at your family gatherings, your second cousin is still related....

References:
Rehm, J., Shield, K., Joharchi, N., & Shuper, P. (2012). Alcohol consumption and the intention to engage in unprotected sex: systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies Addiction, 107 (1), 51-59 DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03621.x

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    The review of content related to the correlation between drinking and unsafe sex involves assessing the quality and accuracy of its analysis and presentation. Key review comments include title clarity, introduction effectiveness, definition and scope, data and research sources, statistical analysis, causation vs. correlation, impact on health, preventive measures, alcohol education, safe drinking guidelines, public health perspective, user engagement, language and clarity, user-friendly layout, conclusion and key findings, feedback and improvement, references and sources, responsibility and consent, mental health considerations, and support resources. The title should clearly communicate the topic, the introduction should provide context, the definition and scope of the topic, the data and research sources used, the statistical analysis, causation vs. correlation, impact on health, preventive measures, alcohol education, safe drinking guidelines, public health perspective, user engagement, language and clarity, user-friendly layout, and conclusion and key findings. The content should also include references or sources for the data, research studies, and information presented in the content, emphasize responsible behavior and obtaining consent in sexual encounters, discuss the potential impact of alcohol on decision-making and mental health in the context of unsafe sex, and provide information on support resources or organizations that can assist individuals dealing with the consequences of unsafe sex. By providing these review comments, the content effectively communicates the correlation between drinking and unsafe sex, provides accurate information, and encourages responsible behavior and awareness.

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