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Variations in Patterns of Sexual Risk Behavior among Seattle-Area MSM Based on their HIV Status, the HIV Status of their Partner and Partner Type

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Abstract

We evaluated sexual risk behavior in 368 Seattle-area MSM recruited in the 2008 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance survey. We found significant concordance between participants’ self-reported HIV status and that of their sexual partners. Persons unaware of partners’ HIV status were more likely to report only oral sex. Those aware were less likely to report non-concordant unprotected anal intercourse (UAI). Participants reporting themselves HIV-positive were more likely than those self-reporting HIV-negative status to report non-concordant UAI and several other sexual risk behaviors. The level of non-concordant UAI did not materially differ by whether their partner was a main or casual partner.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this research came from a contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U62/CCU006260) and a grant from the National Institutes of Health (1 R03 DA031072-01A1). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We wish to acknowledge the valuable contributions of Nadine Snyder, Matthew Golden, Teresa Finlayson, Alexandra Oster, Kevin Kogin, Joshua O’Neal, Lindsay Jenkins, Ben Jury, Elizabeth Harrison, and, of course, our study participants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of HIV Epidemiology, Public Health Seattle & King County, 400 Yesler Way, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA

    Richard D. Burt & Hanne Thiede

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  1. Richard D. Burt
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  2. Hanne Thiede
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Correspondence to Richard D. Burt.

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Burt, R.D., Thiede, H. Variations in Patterns of Sexual Risk Behavior among Seattle-Area MSM Based on their HIV Status, the HIV Status of their Partner and Partner Type. AIDS Behav 16, 599–607 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-9979-x

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