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HIV Infection and Sexual Behaviors Among Non-Commercial Men Who Have Sex with Men at Different Venues

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Abstract

The prevalence of HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) has increased rapidly in China. Previous studies suggested that some venue-specific characteristics could significantly affect MSM’s sexual behaviors that were related to HIV transmission. Thus, to compare the HIV infection rates and related risky sexual behaviors among MSM at different venues, we conducted a cross-sectional study with time-location sampling in Shenzhen, China. Among the 801 MSM recruited in the study, 7.0 % (n = 56) were found to be HIV positive, with 0.9 % of MSM at bars (BMSM), 3.5 % of MSM at suburban recreational centers (RMSM), 8.1 % of MSM at saunas (SMSM), 9.3 % of MSM at parks (PMSM), and 10.1 % of MSM at dorm-based venues (DMSM). HIV infection was significantly more prevalent in MSM in dorm-based venues, parks, and saunas than in other venues. Compared to MSM in other venues, BMSM were more likely to be single, drug and alcohol users, but less likely to be HIV and syphilis positive. More PMSM reported having unprotected anal intercourse with other men while more SMSM reported having multiple male sex partners and more RMSM had a low level of HIV-related knowledge. The results indicated that MSM frequenting different venues were inconsistent with regards to demographic characteristics, HIV and syphilis infection rates, and risky sexual behaviors. Greater efforts are needed to develop intervention strategies that target specific venues and risky behaviors.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all participants, MSM volunteers and peer researchers, and the staff of the medical key laboratory of Shenzhen for sample preparation. This study was partially supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China (30901224 and 81270043), National Key Sci-Tech Special Projects of China (2009ZX10001-018 and 2012ZX1001-002), Shenzhen Science technology foundation (201202093), and a special grant from the Medical Key Laboratory of Guangdong and Shenzhen. Authors Zhao and Chen contributed equally to this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, China

    Jin Zhao, Lin Chen, Wen-De Cai, Jing-Guang Tan, Wei Tan, Chen-Li Zheng, Jin-Quan Cheng & Zheng-Rong Yang

  2. School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China

    Jin Zhao, Ming-Liang He & Xiao-Rong Wang

Authors
  1. Jin Zhao
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  2. Lin Chen
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  3. Wen-De Cai
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  4. Jing-Guang Tan
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  5. Wei Tan
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  6. Chen-Li Zheng
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  7. Jin-Quan Cheng
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  8. Zheng-Rong Yang
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  9. Ming-Liang He
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  10. Xiao-Rong Wang
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Correspondence to Xiao-Rong Wang.

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Zhao, J., Chen, L., Cai, WD. et al. HIV Infection and Sexual Behaviors Among Non-Commercial Men Who Have Sex with Men at Different Venues. Arch Sex Behav 43, 801–809 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0167-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0167-0

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