Presence of an HIV Testing Program Lowers the Prevalence of Unprotected Insertive Anal Intercourse Inside a Gay Bathhouse Among HIV-Negative and HIV-Unknown Patrons

Pollack, Lance M.; Woods, William J.; Blair, Johnny; Binson, Diane

doi:10.1080/15381501.2013.864175

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The 41% response rate is lower than what we obtained at a different bathhouse at the beginning of the decade (Woods et al, 2007; Pollack et al, in press), but it is similar to the 45% rate reported by Grov (2012) for a recent time-location sample survey of New York City bathhouses. It is important to remember that response rate is only a weak indicator of response bias, i.e., a low response rate does not guarantee high levels of bias and a high response rate does not obviate response bias (Groves, 2006; Reidy et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

“…Bathhouses already serve as sites for some individual-level interventions primarily in the form of education and condom distribution (Woods, Euren, Pollack, & Binson, 2010) as well as voluntary counseling and testing (Daskalakis et al, 2009; Huebner et al, 2006). However, greater consideration of the social climate of bathhouses (Binson & Woods, 2003) suggests that larger scale group-level or facility-wide interventions are also possible (see, for example, Pollack, Woods, Blair, & Binson, in press). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of Multiple Sex Venues and Prevalence of HIV Risk Behavior: Identifying High-Risk Men Who Have Sex with Men

et al. 2014

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The National HIV/AIDS Strategy emphasizes the importance of bringing prevention to the most at-risk populations. Interventions targeting all men who have sex with men (MSM) fail in that respect because only a minority engages in behavior that is likely to lead to HIV infection. Previous studies have shown that MSM who seek male sexual partners in more than one venue type (e.g., bathhouse, cruising area, online) are most likely to engage in unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), compared to men who only meet partners in any one of these setting types or who do not use venues. The present study reports differences in prevalence of UAI among MSM by their use of venue sites to meet sexual partners. A probability sample of 459 bathhouse patrons completed exit surveys. In the three months before the current bathhouse visit, 63.5% visited a bathhouse (not including the visit at which they were recruited), 46.7% visited a cruising area, 46.5% used online cruise sites to find sex partners, and 30.9% reported UAI. While UAI was associated with online cruise site use, prevalence of UAI with men met online was relatively low. The odds of UAI among men who used all three venues was significantly higher compared to men using zero [Odds Ratio (OR)=4.4; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.6, 12.1)] one (OR=5.3; 95% CI: 2.2, 12.8) or two venues (OR=4.3; 95% CI: 1.9, 9.6). The findings suggest that prevention would benefit from screening for venue use to help identify men with the greatest behavioral risk.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Multiple Sex Venues and Prevalence of HIV Risk Behavior: Identifying High-Risk Men Who Have Sex with Men

et al. 2014

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“…Augmenting environments of risk to provide onsite HIV testing services has been shown to reduce sexual risk-taking [44], demonstrating how changes in one’s sexual venue can have important impacts on behavior. Interventions designed to intercede at the times and locations of greatest risk (i.e., that take place using mobile technology accessible anywhere, or interventions designed to occur within [or recruit from] high-risk sexual venues) may, thus, be particularly efficacious among MSM populations and should be patterned to appeal to MSM subpopulation(s) most likely to attend such venues (e.g., materials using gay-centric images and words for CSVs, more neutral imagery for PSEs).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Venue Choice and Sexual Risk-Taking Among Substance-Using Men Who have Sex with Men

2016

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Commercial sex venues (CSVs) and public sex environments (PSEs) offer men who have sex with men (MSM) sexual privacy and anonymity. Sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, sexual identity, age, HIV status) are correlated with individuals’ choice of sexual venue, potentially suggesting environmental associations with both sociodemographics and sexual risk. From March 2005 through March 2012, 1298 substance-using MSM provided information on their most recent sexual encounter; iterative logit models estimated associations between sociodemographics and sexual venue, and/ or whether sexual venue was associated with sexual risk-taking while controlling for sociodemographics. More than a third of participants’ most recent sexual encounters took place in either a PSE (23.0%) or a CSV (11.3%); anonymous, HIV-serodiscordant, and/or sex while on methamphetamine and/or marijuana was significantly more likely to occur in CSVs/PSEs than in a private location, even when controlling for sociodemographics. Findings demonstrate that socioenvironmental factors were associated with sexual risk-taking among high-risk, urban MSM.

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“…In their evaluation study, Ko et al (2009) found that a structural intervention to increase condom use for anal sex among gay men was successful in producing this effect at the 6-month followup. In recent years, there has been an increase in HIV testing in gay saunas in the US where approximately 75% of the saunas provide this service (Pollack et al, 2014). In several studies, researchers have found high acceptability and effectiveness of HIV self-testing in gay saunas although they do acknowledge the need to ascertain the best way of implementing this service within the sauna (Huebner, Binson, Pollack, & Woods, 2012;Woods, Lippman, Agnew, Carroll, & Binson, 2016).…”

Section: Hiv Risk and Prevention In The Gay Saunamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sexual health of sauna users has been a significant focus of both researchers and commentators (e.g., Debattista, 2015;Pollack, Woods, Blair, & Binson, 2014). In Western, industrialized societies, gay men are at disproportionately high risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (Jaspal, 2018a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identity, Connectedness, and Sexual Health in the Gay Sauna

Jaspal

Papaloukas

2020

Sex Res Soc Policy

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Introduction This study focuses on the meanings and experiences that men living in Leicester, UK attribute to the gay sauna, the role of the gay sauna in their sense of identity, and how they construe their sexual behavior in this context. Methods In 2015, twenty male sauna users participated in a qualitative interview study. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results The analysis yielded four themes: (1) identity authenticity in the gay sauna; (2) social connectedness among sauna users; (3) sexual risk and sexual health in the sauna; and (4) protecting the identity functions of the gay sauna. The themes show that engagement with the gay sauna can enhance feelings of identity authenticity and belongingness, and that individuals seek to protect these identity functions of the gay sauna despite recognizing the gay sauna as a "high-risk" environment. To protect identity, the notion of sexual risk is distanced from their own identities. Discussion Sauna users may experience better psychological health as a result of frequenting the saunait may promote identity authenticity and belongingness, and alleviate isolation, loneliness, and depression. The promotion of sexual health information and services in gay saunas may enable us to access individuals who might not ordinarily engage with sexual health services. Social Policy Implications There must be closer collaboration between sexual health services, sexual health outreach, and gay saunas in the area of sexual health, and identity concerns must be incorporated into the design of interventions.

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Presence of an HIV Testing Program Lowers the Prevalence of Unprotected Insertive Anal Intercourse Inside a Gay Bathhouse Among HIV-Negative and HIV-Unknown Patrons

Cited by 10 publications

References 41 publications

Use of Multiple Sex Venues and Prevalence of HIV Risk Behavior: Identifying High-Risk Men Who Have Sex with Men

Use of Multiple Sex Venues and Prevalence of HIV Risk Behavior: Identifying High-Risk Men Who Have Sex with Men

Sexual Venue Choice and Sexual Risk-Taking Among Substance-Using Men Who have Sex with Men

Identity, Connectedness, and Sexual Health in the Gay Sauna

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