Temporal Trends in Sexual Behavior Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States, 2002 to 2006–2010

Abstract

Little is known about national trends in sexual behavior among MSM in the U.S. Data from the 2002 and 2006-10 National Survey of Family Growth were used to compare sexual behaviors of sexually active MSM. Mean number of recent male partners significantly decreased from 2.9 in 2002 to 2.1 in 2006-10 (p=.027), particularly among young MSM. Other sexual risk behaviors did not change or decreased over time. Our findings that sexual risk decreased as HIV and syphilis increased among MSM suggest that factors in addition to individual-level sexual risk should also be examined in relation to recent disease increases.

Trends in Sexual Behavior Among Men Who have Sex with Men (MSM) in High-Income Countries, 1990–2013: A Systematic Review

“…Among the 37 included studies that provided behavioral trend data between 1990 to 2013, 13 were conducted in the United States (21–33), nine in continental Europe (34–42), seven in Australia (43–49), five in the United Kingdom (50–54), two in New Zealand (55, 56), and one in Canada (57). Twenty-nine studies examined condomless anal sex (Table I), 16 examined condomless anal sex with a discordant or unknown HIV-status partner (Table II), and 16 examined number of partners (Table III).…”

“…The majority were repeated cross-sectional studies (n=26) while six were longitudinal cohorts (27, 34, 35, 42, 44, 57) and five were retrospective medical record analyses from STD clinics or emergency rooms (23, 36, 38, 47, 49). Most sampled MSM specifically, but two analyses were based on general population surveys (21, 50). Recall periods differed across studies and variables, but most common were past year, past six months, past three months, and last sex.…”

“…Among the 29 studies that examined condomless anal sex from 1990 to 2013 (21–28, 34–41, 43–47, 50–57), 19 findings were included in the analysis of condomless anal sex (Figure 2), 19 findings were included in the analysis of condomless anal sex with casual partners (Figure 3A), and 12 findings were included in the analysis of condomless anal sex with main partners (Figure 3B). Figure 2 showed an upward trend in condomless anal sex with any partners from 1990 to 2012 among most of the study samples.…”

Epidemiology of Sexual Health in the Virtual Environment: A Multinational Online Survey of Spanish- and Portuguese-Speaking Men who use an Internet Sexual Networking Site

“…Recent national and cross-national surveys conducted among MSM in Europe, Asia, and the United States have provided data on the sexual health of MSM in these regions [5][6][7][8][9]. However, to date, there is limited data on the sexual behaviors and HIV and STI testing practices of MSM across countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the field lacks an understanding of how the behavioral profiles of MSM in this region compare to those of MSM in other parts of the world, including the Iberian countries that colonized Latin America.…”

Positive Choices: Outcomes of a Brief Risk Reduction Intervention for Newly HIV-Diagnosed Men Who Have Sex with Men

“…Between 2008 and 2010, new diagnoses grew among MSM by 12% (5). At the same time, rates of transmission risk behaviors (6, 7) and sexually transmitted infections (8, 9) have increased, further demonstrating the need to focus prevention efforts on this population.…”