Norman A D, Perry M J, Stevenson L Y, Kelly J A, Roffman R A
Innovative Programs Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA.
Public Health Rep. 1996 Jul-Aug;111(4):347-52.
Objectives.Women who have sex with women are a relatively hidden group that has been overlooked in most AIDS research and prevention efforts, primarily because the efficiency of HIV transmission between female partners is believed to be low. Although data are scant, it is commonly assumed that members of this population are not at high risk for HIV infection. However, a recent study of lesbian and bisexual women living in the San Francisco Bay area reported a relatively high seroprevalence rate and has raised additional questions about this group's HIV risk. The present study, the first to focus on lesbian and bisexual women living outside major AIDS epicenters, provides additional evidence. It describes risk factors for HIV transmission among lesbian and bisexual women living in small cities in four geographic regions of the United States.Methods.On three consecutive evenings in 1992, members of the research team distributed anonymous structured written surveys to women patrons as they entered gay bars in each of 16 small cities.Results.Almost 17% of bisexual respondents and 0.5% of lesbians reported having had unprotected vaginal or anal sex with a male during the two months prior to the survey. Almost 10 percent of bisexual women and 8.8% of lesbians in the sample reported a history of injection drug use. Among those women surveyed who said they had been tested, 1.4% reported they were infected with HIV.Conclusions.Self-identified sexual orientation was highly consistent with recent sexual behavior. HIV risk related to sexual behavior was concentrated among self-identified bisexual women. The prevalence of injection drug use was substantial among both bisexual and lesbians. Developers of HIV risk behavior programs should take the prevalence of these risk behaviors into consideration in the design of effective HIV prevention interventions tailored to the needs of this hidden population.
目标。与女性发生性行为的女性是一个相对隐蔽的群体，在大多数艾滋病研究和预防工作中被忽视，主要是因为人们认为女性伴侣之间的艾滋病毒传播效率较低。尽管数据稀少，但人们普遍认为这一人群感染艾滋病毒的风险不高。然而，最近一项对居住在旧金山湾区的女同性恋和双性恋女性的研究报告了相对较高的血清阳性率，并引发了关于该群体艾滋病毒风险的更多问题。本研究首次关注生活在主要艾滋病流行中心以外的女同性恋和双性恋女性，提供了更多证据。它描述了美国四个地理区域小城市中女同性恋和双性恋女性艾滋病毒传播的风险因素。
方法。1992年连续三个晚上，研究团队成员在16个小城市的每个城市的同性恋酒吧向女性顾客分发匿名结构化书面调查问卷。
结果。近17%的双性恋受访者和0.5%的女同性恋者报告在调查前两个月与男性发生过无保护的阴道或肛交。样本中近10%的双性恋女性和8.8%的女同性恋者报告有注射吸毒史。在接受调查的表示自己接受过检测的女性中，1.4%报告感染了艾滋病毒。
结论。自我认定的性取向与近期性行为高度一致。与性行为相关的艾滋病毒风险集中在自我认定的双性恋女性中。双性恋者和女同性恋者中注射吸毒的流行率都很高。艾滋病毒风险行为项目的开发者在设计针对这一隐蔽人群需求的有效艾滋病毒预防干预措施时，应考虑这些风险行为的流行情况。
