229624 Sex parties for urban gay men: An emerging culture and risk environment for HIV that merits immediate attention

Monday, November 8, 2010

Matthew J. Mimiaga, ScD, MPH , Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital and The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA
Sari L. Reisner, MA , The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Sean Bland, BA , The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA
Maura Driscoll, MPH , HIV/AIDS Bureau, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
Deborah Isenberg, MPH , HIV/AIDS Bureau, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
Kevin Cranston, MDiv , HIV/AIDS Bureau, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
Rodney VanDerwarker, MPH , The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA
Kenneth Mayer, MD , The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA
Background: Although as many as one-in-four men who have sex with men (MSM) report meeting recent male sex partners at private sex parties, few studies have examined the extent of HIV risk behaviors among MSM attending sex parties.

Methods: In 2009, 103 MSM who reported attending at least one sex party in the past 12 months completed an interviewer-administered quantitative assessment. Logistic regression procedures examined associations to having engaged in one or more acts of serodiscordant unprotected anal sex (SDUAS) at the most recent sex party.

Results: 32% of the sample reported engaging in one or more acts of SDUAS at the most recent sex party. Using the backward elimination procedure and adjusting for demographics, variables resulting in an increased odds of engaging in SDUAS at the most recent sex party were: number of unprotected anal receptive sex acts at sex parties in the past 12 months (AOR = 1.11; p = 0.03), self-perception of risk for transmitting or acquiring HIV (AOR = 1.24; p = 0.03), and sexual sensation seeking (AOR = 1.16; p = 0.01). Examined in the same model, if condoms were provided/available at the most recent sex party, participants were at a decreased odds of engaging in SDUAS at that sex party (AOR = 0.26; p = 0.02).

Conclusion: HIV prevention interventions are urgently needed to reach MSM who attend private sex parties. Consideration of both individual-level factors and contextual factors in the sex party environment is warranted, in particular the presence and availability of condoms.

Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify the sexual health needs of men who attend sex parties to meet male sex partners in Massachusetts; describe individual-level and contextual factors associated with HIV sexual risk in the sex party environment; formulate hypotheses and questions for future research, including possible intervention development with this high-risk subpopulation of men who have sex with men (MSM).

Keywords: Gay Men, HIV Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a Research Scientist at The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, and oversee the epidemiology research division. I am also an Instuctor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital and in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. I have co-authored more than 45 articles, chapters, and other publications on HIV/AIDS and related infectious diseases topics.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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