Abstract
The increase in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission cases poses a serious public health concern. Although several previous studies have been conducted with the aim of identifying the risk factors for HIV transmission, the number of cases has been increasing, especially in youth. The present study is aimed at the identification of personal and lifestyle determinants of HIV transmission risk in a sample of 335 Spanish university students selected by convenience sampling from a public university located in Alicante (Spain). Sociodemographic factors, lifestyles, and variables of HIV risk of transmission were evaluated. Group differences on risk of HIV transmission were evaluated between participants depending on their sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, relationship status, employment status, economic status, and sexual orientation) and lifestyle (diet, physical exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, and stress). Linear regression models were conducted in order to identify those personal and lifestyle variables related to HIV transmission risk. The obtained results indicate that, generally, being older, in a relationship, and employed were factors related to a high risk of HIV transmission. Regarding lifestyle, poor diet, lower intensity of physical exercise, higher alcohol intake, and smoking were fundamentally associated with a higher risk of HIV transmission, through lower use of condoms and higher frequency of risky sexual behaviors. Hence, participants who develop an unhealthy lifestyle exhibit twice the probability of being at a high risk of HIV transmission, especially regarding these previously indicated behaviors. The present study points out the relevance of sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyles of university students in their proneness to developing risky behaviors for HIV infection. Future studies should be developed with larger, randomized, and more representative samples, in order to obtain significant information for the development of effective preventive strategies oriented toward the increase in the adherence to healthy lifestyles and HIV prevention.
Highlights
According to data reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 37.9 million people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide at the end of 2019 [1]
The obtained results identify the personal and lifestyles factors associated with a higher risk for HIV transmission in Spanish university students
As has been previously indicated, different relationships were found between the analyzed factors and HIV risk dimensions, from which it can be derived that personal and lifestyle factors could serve either as risk or protective factors, and that specific HIV risk dimensions should be taken into account
Summary
According to data reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 37.9 million people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide at the end of 2019 [1]. Africa is the continent with the largest number of people infected with HIV, representing almost 70% of the total population (25.7 million), followed by Asia (10.02%), the Americas (9.2%), and Europe (6.6%) [1]. In Spain, it has been estimated that, at present, approximately 150,000 people are infected with HIV, with 3100 new cases being registered in 2018 and young people being the most at-risk group [2]. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 8332; doi:10.3390/ijerph17228332 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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