230156 HIV risk behavior among Black MSM who meet male sexual partners on the Internet

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Sean Bland, BA , The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA
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
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
Kenneth Mayer, MD , The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA
Background: Meeting sex partners on the Internet has been associated with elevated HIV risk among men who have sex with men (MSM), but little is known specific to Black MSM (BMSM).

Methods: In 2008, 197 BMSM were recruited via modified respondent-driven-sampling and completed an interviewer-administered quantitative assessment and voluntary HIV counseling and testing. Backwards elimination procedures were used to fit a final multivariable logistic regression model that examined factors associated with using the Internet to meet casual male sex partners in the past 12 months.

Results: 20% of the sample (39/197) reported having met casual male sex partners on the Internet in the prior year. In bivariate analyses, factors associated with having met male partners on the Internet were: private health insurance (OR=2.72; p=0.01), gay identification (OR=2.56; p=0.01), unprotected anal sex with a casual male partner (OR=2.76; p=0.02), number of male sex partners (OR=1.11; p=0.0003), unprotected sex with a female sex partner (OR=0.10; p=0.002), and club-drug-use during sex (OR=5.26; p=0.05). In a multivariable adjusted model, unprotected anal sex with a casual male (AOR=3.89; p=0.008) and unprotected sex with a female (AOR=0.05; p=0.004) were associated with an increased odds of using the Internet to meet male partners.

Conclusion: Although one-fifth of BMSM reported meeting male partners on the Internet, the majority did not meet partners online, suggesting that prevention activities need to target diverse environments where BMSM seek sex. Data underscore that the risk profile of Internet-using BMSM may be different from that of BMSM who do not use the Internet.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Epidemiology
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify the frequency and patterns of Internet use to meet male sex partners among Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in Massachusetts; describe the association of Internet use to HIV sexual risk among Black MSM; discuss implications for prevention activities and future research with this community.

Keywords: African American, Gay Men

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a research associate for epidemiology and behavioral science studies at the Fenway Institute of Fenway Health in Boston, Massachusetts. Sean graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a dual degree in psychology and German Studies. At the Fenway Institute, I have co-authored several journal articles addressing disparities in HIV/AIDS among racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities.
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.