Correlates of consistent condom use among men who have sex with men recruited through the Internet in Huzhou city: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

BackgroundThere is growing evidence that men who have sex with men (MSM) are currently a group at high risk of HIV infection in China. Our study aims to know the factors affecting consistent condom use among MSM recruited through the internet in Huzhou city.MethodsAn anonymous cross-sectional study was conducted by recruiting 410 MSM living in Huzhou city via the Internet. The socio-demographic profiles (age, education level, employment status, etc.) and sexual risk behaviors of the respondents were investigated. Bivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to compare the differences between consistent condom users and inconsistent condom users. Variables with significant bivariate between groups’ differences were used as candidate variables in a stepwise multivariate logistic regression model. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS for Windows 17.0, and a p value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.ResultsAccording to their condom use, sixty-eight respondents were classified into two groups. One is consistent condom users, and the other is inconsistent condom users. Multivariate logistic regression showed that respondents who had a comprehensive knowledge of HIV (OR = 4.08, 95% CI: 1.85-8.99), who had sex with male sex workers (OR = 15.30, 95% CI: 5.89-39.75) and who had not drunk alcohol before sex (OR = 3.10, 95% CI: 1.38-6.95) were more likely to be consistent condom users.ConclusionsConsistent condom use among MSM was associated with comprehensive knowledge of HIV and a lack of alcohol use before sexual contact. As a result, reducing alcohol consumption and enhancing education regarding the risks of HIV among sexually active MSM would be effective in preventing of HIV transmission.

Seeking Male Sexual Partners via Internet and Traditional Venues among Chinese Men Who Have Sex with Men: Implications for HIV Risk Reduction Interventions

“…Our results were in line with previous studies assessing samples recruited online or offline [15,16,20,28,[34][35][36][37][38][39][40] that Chinese MSM mostly using Internet to find sex were more likely to be younger, currently single, have higher education, have higher monthly income, engage in condomless receptive anal sex, or have higher odds of being HIV-positive; while less likely to drink alcohol, use alcohol before sex, have sex with women. Our study also uniquely documented that online sex-finding MSM tended to live in the city for longer, being a registered local resident, have health insurance, ever use illicit drugs, or have fewer years in sexual activity.…”

Early Sexual Debut and HIV Infection among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Shenzhen, China

“…Eight HIV-related questions were administered to evaluate the participants' knowledge of HIV [16]. The questions included the following: could HIV be transmitted via mosquito bites?…”

Factors associated with sexual risk behaviors with non-steady partners and lack of recent HIV testing among German men who have sex with men in steady relationships: results from a cross-sectional internet survey

“…Potential predictor variables for our outcome measure included a variety of factors found to be significantly associated with UAI or with lack of HIV testing in previous studies, or else considered to be biologically plausible causal factors for either of these behaviors. We considered: sociodemographic characteristics (age [ 11 ], income [ 11 , 12 ], education [ 13 ], size of city of residence, residence in a state in the former Western or Eastern part of Germany, immigration background, sexual orientation); relationship characteristics (type and length of relationship [ 2 , 14 , 15 ], knowledge of partner’s HIV status [ 15 ], frequency of UAI with steady partner [ 13 ]); psychological and social variables (symptoms or diagnosis of depression or anxiety [ 15 ], any professional help for psychological symptoms, internalized homophobia [ 15 , 16 ], experience of violence due to sexual orientation, “outness” [ 12 ], social support [ 11 ], HIV-related stigma [ 17 ]); use of establishments (such as bars, clubs, or saunas) that cater toward gay men [ 13 ]; proportion of sexual partners met on the Internet [ 18 ]; knowledge and attitudes toward HIV [ 19 ], condom use [ 14 , 15 ], and antiretroviral therapy (ART) [ 12 , 20 ]; satisfaction with sex life in general; and substance use [ 12 , 13 , 15 ]. All variables were self-reported.…”