Alcohol and Cannabis Use and Sexual Risk Behaviors in the Malawi Defence Force.

Substance abuse is a public health priority in the context of the HIV epidemic, especially in military communities. This cross-sectional study quantified alcohol and cannabis use in the Malawi Defence Force and investigated its associations with condom use, transactional sex, multiple sexual partners, and sexual violence. Participants were 944 male and female service members ≥ 18 years old.

Global HIV Prevention, Testing, and Counseling in Military Populations.

Background: Compared with the general population in low- and middle-income countries, military members tend to be male, young, travel more frequently away from their main sexual partners, drink more alcohol and have a consistent source of income. All of these factors may lead to an increased risk of contracting HIV.

Objective: In response, the Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program advocates for the integration of HIV prevention "building blocks" into military health services to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV among foreign uniformed services.

Prevention Interventions for People Living with HIV in Military Settings.

Background: Military HIV prevention programs and healthy living programs were developed in the mid-1980s to manage and support newly HIV-positive military personnel in the US military. Since then, a program developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with support from the Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP), called Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention (PHDP), is currently being rolled out by DHAPP in partner militaries. The program, designed to reduce HIV transmission, is a package of interventions for people living with HIV (PLHIV), including risk reduction counseling, condom provision, disclosure counseling, testing of sexual partner(s) and children, adherence counseling, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and provision of family planning services.