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Epidemiology of Sexual Health in the Virtual Environment: A Multinational Online Survey of Spanish- and Portuguese-Speaking Men who use an Internet Sexual Networking Site

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Abstract

There is limited data on the sexual health of users of sexual networking websites for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Latin America. Members of a MSM-targeted social/sexual networking website in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal participated in an online sexual health survey. Among 36,063 respondents, nearly 90 % reported having anal or vaginal intercourse in the past 3 months. Among sexually active men, 53.2 % used condoms inconsistently. In the past year, 54 % of respondents reported undergoing sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing and 67 % reported testing yearly or more often for HIV. Self-reported HIV prevalence was 9.1 %. Differences were seen by geographic region. Unprotected intercourse with partners of different or unknown HIV status was associated with recent STI diagnosis (OR = 1.83, t = 13.15, d.f. = 21, p < .001) and HIV diagnosis (OR = 2.20, t = 14.00, d.f. = 21, p < .001). Online surveys are a promising tool for HIV/STI surveillance and prevention internationally to reach an important subset of MSM.

Resumen

Existen datos limitados en relación a la salud sexual de los usuarios de sitios web de redes sexuales para hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH). Los miembros de un sitio web de redes social/sexuales dirigido a HSH en América Latina, España y Portugal, participaron en una encuesta por internet sobre su salud sexual. Entre 36063 encuestados, casi el 90 % reportaron tener relaciones sexuales vaginales o anales en los últimos 3 meses. Entre los hombres sexualmente activos, el 53,2 % utilizaron condones inconsistentemente. En el año pasado, el 54 % de los encuestados reportaron hacerse un prueba de infección de transmisión sexual (ITS) y el 67 % reportaron hacerse un prueba de VIH anual o con más frecuencia. La prevalencia de VIH, reportado por los participantes, fue de 9,1 %. Se observaron diferencias según la región geográfica. Relaciones sexuales sin protección con parejas sexuales de diferente o desconocido estado serológico fue asociado con un diagnóstico reciente de ITS (OR = 1,83, t = 13,15, df = 21, p < 0,001) y un diagnóstico de VIH (OR = 2,20, t = 14,00, df = 21, p < 0,001). Las encuestas por internet son una herramienta prometedora para la vigilancia y la prevención del VIH y los ITS. Al nivel internacional, las encuestas por internet pueden ser utilizados para alcanzar un subgrupo importante de HSH.

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Acknowledgments

All authors contributed to the design of the study; DSN was responsible for acquisition of the data; KBB analyzed data and drafted the manuscript. JGR, MJM, DSN, AMR, and KHM made significant contributions to drafts of the manuscript; KBB had primary responsibility for final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. All authors had full access to all of the data in the study, and can take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. The authors would like to acknowledge Sari Reisner (Fenway Health and Harvard School of Public Health) for providing invaluable feedback on a draft of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Katie B. Biello, Angela M. Robertson & Matthew J. Mimiaga

  2. Fenway Health, The Fenway Institute, 1340 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Katie B. Biello, Angela M. Robertson, Kenneth H. Mayer & Matthew J. Mimiaga

  3. Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Joshua G. Rosenberger

  4. OLB Research Institute, Online Buddies, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA

    David S. Novak

  5. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Kenneth H. Mayer

  6. Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Kenneth H. Mayer

  7. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Matthew J. Mimiaga

  8. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Matthew J. Mimiaga

Authors
  1. Katie B. Biello
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  2. Joshua G. Rosenberger
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  3. David S. Novak
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  4. Angela M. Robertson
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  5. Kenneth H. Mayer
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  6. Matthew J. Mimiaga
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Correspondence to Katie B. Biello.

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Biello, K.B., Rosenberger, J.G., Novak, D.S. et al. Epidemiology of Sexual Health in the Virtual Environment: A Multinational Online Survey of Spanish- and Portuguese-Speaking Men who use an Internet Sexual Networking Site. AIDS Behav 18, 1675–1685 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-014-0844-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-014-0844-6

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