2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

328007
HIV Risk, Health Information Sought and Services Used Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Use the Internet to Seek Sex With Men (MISM) in Ontario, Canada


Sunday, November 1, 2015

David J. Brennan, PhD, MSW, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Toronto, ON, Canada
Nathan Lachowsky, PhD, British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Background: Given the increased use of the Internet and mobile-apps for socio-sexual connections and health information, we sought to determine behavioral, information-seeking, and service use factors associated with HIV risk (including HIV viral load information) among MISM in Ontario.

Method: From December 2013 to January 2014, MISM aged 16 or older were recruited from websites, mobile-apps, and community-based organizations across Ontario to complete a 15-minute anonymous online questionnaire regarding the following behaviors: sexual, online health information seeking, and HIV/STI testing. Factors associated with event-level HIV risk during last anal sex [defined as non-seroconcordant condomless anal sex with a 1) known detectable HIV-positive partner, 2) unknown viral load status HIV-positive partner, or 3) HIV status unknown partner] were assessed using manual backward stepwise logistic regression (p<0.05 considered significant).

Results: Of 1830 MISM, 1467 reported any anal sex in the past 6 months (80.7%). At last anal sex event, 11.9% reported HIV risk. Seeking information on STI symptoms (AOR=1.57[95%CI:1.09-2.25]) and on HIV and STI testing (AOR=1.87[95%CI:1.32-2.67]) were positively associated with HIV risk, while testing for STIs in the past year (AOR=0.42[95%CI:0.30-0.60]) and seeking information on HIV/STI prevention (AOR=0.51[95%CI:0.33-0.80]) were negatively associated. Event-level partner substance use was positively associated with HIV risk (AOR=2.09[95%CI:1.41-3.10]) as was self-identifying as South Asian versus White (AOR=3.62[95%CI:1.60-8.19]).

Conclusions: HIV risk was positively associated with reactive information seeking  (symptoms, testing) while negatively associated with proactive service use (testing) and information seeking on prevention. Providers can use these findings to focus and develop culturally relevant intervention tools.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Explain the links between HIV risk behavior and use of online tools for health information and uptake of in-person testing services among men who use the Internet to seek sex with other men.

Keyword(s): HIV Risk Behavior, Internet

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the principal investigator (PI) on the study for which these findings are submitted. I have been the PI on numerous studies focused on gay and bisexual men's health and wellness. I am the Ontario HIV Treatment Network Applied HIV Research Chair in gay and bisexual men's health.
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.

Back to: 2032.0: HIV and Men Who Have Sex With Men