Administering Sexual Health-Related Services to Bisexual Men: Privacy, Trust, and Appropriate Messaging

Introduction: Research has shown that bisexual men are a distinct public health population who, separate from both homosexual and heterosexual men, must be reached with appropriate messages regarding health care services including those related to HIV/AIDS. Thus far, bisexual men have not provided information regarding their experiences with accessing health care services and/or insight on ways to enhance the delivery of interventions specifically targeting these men. Methods: A diverse sample of 75 bisexual men (i.e., men who engaged in sexual activity with both men and women in the previous six months) took part in interviews which explored experiences with and preferences for administering health care services. Results: The most prominent themes that emerged were related to privacy and trust. Whether men were discussing disclosing their sexual behaviors to health care providers or in terms of reaching bisexual men with health care services, participants pointed to the necessity of privacy. Most men reported that a generalized approach to reaching bisexual men may be most appropriate. For example, rather than marketing health messages toward "bisexual men," participants preferred using "men's health" or "men's sexual health" for advertisement of services or on health education materials. Discussion: Overall, the types of services men preferred involved issues of privacy and trust above all else. Individual services were considered to be the most private. Furthermore, disclosure of bisexuality to health care providers also centered around privacy and trust. Participants wanted to be sure that the providers would not treat them differently if disclosure did occur.