241123 HIV risk and bisexual behaviors among API MSM

Tuesday, November 1, 2011: 1:10 PM

Tooru Nemoto, PhD , Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA
Mariko Iwamoto, MA , Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA
Maria Sakata, MA , Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA
Objective: Asian and Pacific Islander (API) men who have sex with men (MSM) consistently have lower HIV sero-prevalence compared to other racial/ethnic groups. The study aimed to describe their HIV risk behaviors in relation to social and cultural factors. Methods: A total of 186 API MSM (18 years and over) in California were recruited from an online survey panel for a 30-minute structured survey. Participants were: Chinese (25%), Filipino (23%), Japanese (16%), Vietnamese (9%), and multi-racial Asians (9%); 43% were born in the U.S.; and 67% had a bachelors degree or higher. Results: Over half of the participants reported having had sex with a woman, while self-identifying as gay (53%), bisexual (30%), and straight (14%). Among those who have been tested for HIV (72%), 4.5% reported being HIV positive. More than half (54%) had engaged in oral or anal sex with a casual male partner in the past 6 months, and only 46% and 39% always used a condom for receptive or insertive anal sex, respectively. They met casual partners at gay bars or clubs (27%) and through the Internet (71%), friends (33%), and personal ads (26%). They had engaged in unsafe sex because they felt more intimate and knew partners' sero-status. Conclusion: Bisexuality among API MSM must be further investigated and addressed in HIV prevention programs.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1) Describe HIV risk behaviors of API MSM in California; 2) Understand cultural context of unsafe sex among API MSM; 3) Understand reasons for engaging in unsafe sex in social and cultural context.

Keywords: HIV Risk Behavior, Asian and Pacific Islander

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I am a research associate at the Public Health Institute and have conducted research on topics including HIV risk behaviors among API MSM, transgender women, and thai sex workers.
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.