2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Online Program

334552
Concurrent Sexual Partnerships and Elevated Risk for HIV among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Southwest China


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 8:50 a.m. - 9:10 a.m.

Hongyun Fu, Ph.D., Division of Community Health Research, Department of Pediatrics, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA
Kai Wang, FHI 360 China/Kunming Office, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
Lisa Johnston, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Kim Longfield, PhD, Strategic Research and Evaluation, Population Services International, Washington, DC
Gary Mundy, M.A., Helen Keller International, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Background: Male-to-male sexual transmission of HIV in China has increased ten-fold over the past decade.  Overlapping sexual partnerships and unprotected sex are driving forces.  We examine patterns of sexual concurrency and its association with other HIV risks among men who have sex with men (MSM), using data from a 2013 behavioral survey in China.   

Methods: We used respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to recruit 780 males aged ≥ 18 who reported having anal sex with a male in the past 3 months in Kunming and Nanning.  Interviews were conducted face-to-face using a structured questionnaire.  Data analyses used RDS Analysis Tool and STATA-13.

Results: In the past three months, 26% of respondents had a concurrent female partner, 55% had concurrent male partners, and 20% had ≥5 concurrent partners. Levels of consistent condom use were lowest for sex with female partners (35%), followed by regular male partners (70%), casual male partners (81%), and male commercial partners (83%).  35% reported ever experiencing sexually transmitted infection (STI) symptoms.  

 Sexual concurrency was associated with decreased consistent condom use with male regular partners (OR=0.51; P<0.01) and male casual partners (OR=0.24, P<0.05). Having ≥5 concurrent partners was associated with decreased consistent condom use with male regular partners (OR=0.24; P<0.001) and male casual partners (OR = 0.45, P<0.05), and increased likelihood of experiencing STI symptoms (OR=1.86, P<0.01).    

 Conclusions: High rates of concurrent partnerships, having sex with both males and females, and limited condom use highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing HIV risks for MSM.   

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the prevalence and patterns of concurrent sexual partnerships among MSM in Southwest China. Determine the association between sexual concurrency and HIV risks among MSM in Southwest China. Discuss implications of study findings on public health programming and policy advocacy for MSM.

Keyword(s): HIV Risk Behavior, Sexual Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was the China country program manager for the USAID-funded CAP-3D HIV Prevention Program at PSI in China, through which data for this data were collected. I have the research and program background and technical expertise to conduct this study. I have a PhD and years of experience conducting research in the realm of HIV.
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: 4043.0: International Issues in HIV Prevention