10th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections Boston, MA USA - February 10 -14, 2003

Conf Retroviruses Opportunistic Infect 2003 Feb 10-14;10th: abstract no. 37
M. A. Chiasson¹, S. Hirshfield¹ , M. Humberstone¹, J. DiFilippi¹, D. Newstein¹, B. Koblin², R. Remien^3,4
1Med and Hlth Res Assn of New York City, Inc; ²Lindsley F Kimball Res Inst of the New York Blood Ctr, NY; ³HIV Ctr for Clin and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Inst; and ⁴Columbia Univ, New York, NY

BACKGROUND: As HIV transmission among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) resurges, efficient methods of reaching large numbers of high-risk men must be identified and new prevention messages developed. The Internet may be an important venue for these activities.

METHODS: In June-July 2002, 2,934 men recruited through chat room banners on popular gay Web site completed an anonymous, 60-item online questionnaire about sexual, drug- and alcohol- using behaviors during a recent 6-month period. The small number of women and transgendered respondents were excluded from this analysis; the HIV- group included those testing negative and those untested. Statistical differences were assessed using Chi-square tests.

RESULTS: Respondents represented all 50 states in the U.S., roughly in proportion to the population of each state. Most (80%) reported sex only with men, 19% with men and women, and < 1% only with women. By age group, 46% were 18-29, 46% 30-49 and 8% 50+. Most men were white (85%) and had at least some college education (87%); 7.6% (224) were HIV⁺. More than 100 lifetime sex partners were reported by 27%, with 6% reporting more than 10 partners in the past 30 days. Most men (84%) met sex partners online and they were more likely to have unprotected anal sex (UAS) than those who met partners in other ways (64% vs 58%, p = 0.02). Most HIV⁺ men (80%) had HIV^- partners and were more likely to report UAS than HIV^- men (OR 1.4, p = 0.04). Among those who met partners online, HIV⁺ men were more likely to report UAS than HIV^- men (OR 1.5, p = 0.03). Of the 10 men diagnosed with syphilis during the 6-month period, 9 met sex partners online and 4 reported being HIV⁺. Overall, 43% reported any illicit drug use and 34% reported drinking until drunk 1-3 days per wk, with no differences by method of meeting partners.

CONCLUSIONS: The very high risk sexual behavior and the significant association between meeting a sex partner online and UAS, particularly for HIV⁺ men, found in this study provide additional evidence that the Internet may play a role in HIV transmission. Similar to other high risk venues of the 1970s and 1980s (e.g., bath houses and back rooms), the Internet may be a setting in which to meet new sex partners and potentially transmit HIV. Our success in rapidly recruiting a large number of men reporting very high-risk sexual behavior from a single Internet site suggests that this recruitment method can also be used to provide urgently needed safer sex messages.

030210
37

Copyright © 2003 - Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health. Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health. Licensed (AIDSLINE) from National Library of Medicine.