Kingston Hospital, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7QB, UK; and Corresponding author. Email:
Centre for Social Research in Health, Level 3, John Goodsell Building, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Sex Health. 2020 Apr;17(2):121-128. doi: 10.1071/SH18216.
Background Gay and other men who have sex with men of Asian background (GAM) have been identified as a key population in efforts to eradicate HIV in New South Wales. The aims of the present study were to evaluate current levels of engagement with HIV and sexually transmissible infection (STI) testing services, assess knowledge of pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis and to identify factors associated with service engagement in this group.
A survey of 604 GAM residing in Sydney and Melbourne was undertaken.
The data identified that a significant proportion of non-HIV-positive men (i.e. HIV-negative men and men whose HIV status was unknown) surveyed (n = 567; 93.9%) had engaged in frequent HIV testing and comprehensive STI testing in the 12 months prior to the survey (n = 180; 31.7%). There were significant differences (P < 0.05) in sexual practices at the bivariate level between those who reported frequent and comprehensive HIV/STI testing and those who did not. Those who tested regularly were substantially more sexually active, were more likely to have multiple partners (P = 0.001) and were more likely to engage in condomless anal intercourse with both casual (P < 0.001) and regular (P = 0.002) partners. Those who engaged with testing initiatives were more likely to discuss HIV status with both regular (P = 0.008) and casual (P < 0.001) partners, and identified more reasons to test than their counterparts (P < 0.001). The data also highlighted key service venues, with gay men most likely to have used public sexual health clinics (46.9%) as their most recent testing venue.
The data demonstrate an association between high levels of male-to-male sexual activity and engagement in frequent and comprehensive HIV and STI testing. This likely derives from both self-perceived notions of risk and current reliance on established gay community organisations to convey information around testing. Increasing engagement with testing initiatives beyond GAM who self-identify as being at high HIV and STI risk will require the use of novel routes by which to disseminate this information.
评估目前与 HIV 和性传播感染（STI）检测服务的接触程度，评估对暴露前和暴露后预防的了解程度，并确定与该人群服务接触相关的因素。
对居住在悉尼和墨尔本的 604 名男同性恋者和其他与男性发生性关系的亚洲男性（GAM）进行了调查。
数据表明，在所调查的非 HIV 阳性男性（即 HIV 阴性男性和 HIV 状况未知的男性）中，有相当一部分（n = 567；93.9%）在调查前的 12 个月内频繁进行 HIV 检测和全面的 STI 检测（n = 180；31.7%）。在性实践方面，在双变量水平上，报告频繁和全面的 HIV/STI 检测与不进行检测的人之间存在显著差异（P < 0.05）。那些经常接受检测的人更活跃，更有可能有多个性伴侣（P = 0.001），并且更有可能与偶然（P < 0.001）和常规（P = 0.002）伴侣发生无保护的肛交。那些参与检测计划的人更有可能与常规（P = 0.008）和偶然（P < 0.001）伴侣讨论 HIV 状况，并且比他们的同行确定了更多的检测原因（P < 0.001）。数据还突出了关键的服务场所，男同性恋者最有可能使用公共性健康诊所（46.9%）作为他们最近的检测场所。
数据表明，高水平的男男性行为与频繁和全面的 HIV 和 STI 检测接触之间存在关联。这可能源于自我感知的风险观念和对现有同性恋社区组织的依赖，这些组织传播有关检测的信息。要增加对自我认定为 HIV 和 STI 风险较高的 GAM 以外的人群参与检测计划，需要利用新的途径来传播这些信息。
