Department of Health Science, Dongduk Women's University, Seoul, South Korea.
Center for Community-Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2023 Jun 12;18(6):e0287061. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287061. eCollection 2023.
During the pandemic, the capacity of medical resources focused on testing, diagnosing and treating COVID-19 has severely limited public access to health care. In particular, HIV screening, for which homosexual males in Korea received free and anonymous testing at public health centers, was completely halted. This study investigated behavioral predictors related to the HIV screening needs of Korean male homosexuals during the pandemic. Data were collected by conducting a web survey targeting members of the largest homosexual portal site in Korea with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea (n = 1,005). The key independent variables are COVID-19-related characteristics and sexual risk behavior. The moderating variable is health information search behavior, and the dependent variable is the need for HIV screening. For a statistical analysis, a hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted while controlling for potential confounding variables. According to the results of this study, the need for HIV screening was 0.928 times lower for older people (p<0.05, 95% CI = 0.966-0.998). However, if the respondent had a primary partner, the need for HIV screening was 1.459 times higher (p<0.01, 95% CI = 1.071-1.989). In addition, the need for screening was 1.773 times higher for those who preferred anal intercourse (p<0.01, 95% CI = 1.261-2.494) and 2.034 times higher (p<0.01, 95% CI = 1.337-3.095) if there was a history of being diagnosed with an STD. Finally, health information-seeking behavior was marginally significant. This study revealed that male Korean homosexuals who were young, preferred anal sex with a primary partner, and who had a history of a sexually transmitted disease had a high need for HIV screening at public health centers. They are more likely to be susceptible to HIV infection because they are usually consistent with gay men, characterized by risky behavior. Therefore, an intervention strategy that provides health information using a communication campaign is needed.
在疫情期间，专注于新冠病毒检测、诊断和治疗的医疗资源的能力严重限制了公众获得医疗保健的机会。特别是在韩国，同性恋男性可以在公共卫生中心免费匿名接受艾滋病毒检测，但这项服务在疫情期间完全停止了。本研究旨在调查与疫情期间韩国男同性恋者艾滋病毒检测需求相关的行为预测因素。该研究通过韩国国家研究基金会（NRF）的支持，在韩国最大的同性恋门户网站上针对会员进行了网络调查，共收集了 1005 名参与者的数据。主要的独立变量是与新冠病毒相关的特征和性行为风险。调节变量是健康信息搜索行为，因变量是艾滋病毒检测需求。为了进行统计分析，在控制潜在混杂变量的情况下，进行了分层多逻辑回归分析。根据本研究的结果，年龄较大的人对艾滋病毒检测的需求降低了 0.928 倍（p<0.05，95%CI=0.966-0.998）。然而，如果受访者有一个主要伴侣，那么对艾滋病毒检测的需求就会增加 1.459 倍（p<0.01，95%CI=1.071-1.989）。此外，更喜欢肛交的人对检测的需求增加了 1.773 倍（p<0.01，95%CI=1.261-2.494），有性传播疾病史的人对检测的需求增加了 2.034 倍（p<0.01，95%CI=1.337-3.095）。最后，健康信息搜索行为具有边缘显著性。本研究表明，年轻、与主要伴侣发生肛交且有性传播疾病史的韩国男同性恋者对公共卫生中心的艾滋病毒检测需求较高。他们更容易感染艾滋病毒，因为他们通常与男同性恋者一致，具有危险行为的特征。因此，需要采取一种通过宣传活动提供健康信息的干预策略。
