Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Internet Use, Recreational Travel, and HIV Risk Behaviors in Men Who Have Sex With Men

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Community Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Previous studies have documented higher rates of HIV risk behavior in gay and bisexual men traveling for leisure. Most of these studies collected data in high-risk tourist areas known for promoting alcohol and other substance use. The present study sampled a broader range of men by collecting data at a Gay Pride celebration, and asking participants about vacation experiences over the past 12 months. We also collected information about men’s use of the Internet to find sexual partners before they traveled. Overall, two-thirds of participants reported recreational travel in the previous year. Of these men, 17% reported having sex with a new partner during their most recent vacation. Forty-three percent of the respondents were sexually active during their vacation. Sexually-active participants reported a mean of 2.01 unprotected anal sex acts during their brief vacation stay (M = 6.2 days). Close to half of the sexually-active men reported having sex with a partner of unknown HIV status. Alcohol and drug use were associated with unprotected sex. Men who used the Internet to set up dates prior to travel reported significantly more sexual partners and were significantly more likely to report having sex with a new partner. Many gay and bisexual men on vacation report behaviors that may place their health at risk, including substance use and unprotected sexual activity. Interventions designed to reduce risk behaviors in this population are needed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Pizam, A., Reichel, A., & Uriely, N. (2002). Sensation seeking and tourist behavior. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 9, 17–33.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ward, B. J., & Plourde, P. (2006). Travel and sexually transmitted infections. Journal of Travel Medicine, 13, 300–317.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Apostolopoulos, Y., Sönmez, S., & Yu, C. H. (2002). HIV-risk behaviours of American spring break vacationers: A case of situational disinhibition? International Journal of STD and AIDS, 13, 733–743.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Eiser, J. R., & Ford, N. (1995). Sexual relationships on holiday: A case of situational disinhibition? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 12, 323–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Maticka-Tyndale, E., & Herold, E. S. (1999). Condom use on spring-break vacation: The influence of intentions, prior use, and context. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 29, 1010–1027.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Vivancos, R., Abubakar, I., & Hunter, P. R. (2010). Foreign travel associated with increased sexual risk-taking, alcohol and drug use among UK university students: A cohort study. International Journal of STD and AIDS, 21, 46–51.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Bellis, M. A., Hale, G., Bennett, A., Chaudry, M., & Kilfoyle, M. (2000). Ibiza uncovered: Changes in substance use and sexual behaviour amongst young people visiting an international night-life resort. International Journal of Drug Policy, 11, 235–244.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Bellis, M. A., Hughes, K. E., Dillon, P., Copeland, J., & Gates, P. (2007). Effects of backpacking holidays in Australia on alcohol, tobacco and drug use of UK residents. BMC Public Health, 7, 1–10.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Egan, C. E. (2001). Sexual behaviors, condom use and factors influencing casual sex among backpackers and other young international travelers. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 10, 41.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Bellis, M. A., Hughes, K., Thomson, R., & Bennett, A. (2004). Sexual behaviour of young people in international tourist resorts. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 80, 43–47.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Bellis, M. A., Hughes, K., Calafat, A., Juan, M., & Schnitzer, S. (2009). Relative contributions of holiday location and nationality to changes in recreational drug taking behaviour: A natural experiment in the Balearic Islands. European Addiction Research, 15, 78–86.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Hughes, K., Downing, J., Bellis, M. A., Dillon, P., & Copeland, J. (2009). The sexual behaviour of British backpackers in Australia. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 85, 477–482.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hamlyn, E., Peer, A., & Easterbrook, P. (2007). Sexual health and HIV in travellers and expatriates. Occupational Medicine, 57, 313–321.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. CDC. (2009). HIV/AIDS surveillance report, 2007. (Vol. 19). Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [online]. Downloaded on June 7, 2010: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports/.

  15. Clift, S. M., & Forrest, S. P. (1999). Factors associated with gay men’s sexual behaviours and risk on holiday. AIDS Care, 11, 281–295.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Whittier, D., Lawrence, J., & Seeley, S. (2005). Sexual risk behavior of men who have sex with men: Comparison of behavior at home and at a gay resort. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34, 95–102.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Benotsch, E. G., Mikytuck, J. J., Ragsdale, K., & Pinkerton, S. D. (2006). Sexual risk and HIV acquisition among men who have sex with men travelers to Key West, Florida: A mathematical modeling analysis. AIDS Patient Care & STDs, 20, 549–556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Darrow, W. W., Biersteker, S., Geiss, T., et al. (2005). Risky sexual behaviors associated with recreational drug use among men who have sex with men in an international resort area: Challenges and opportunities. Journal Of Urban Health: Bulletin Of The New York Academy Of Medicine, 82, 601–609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Leigh, B. C., & Stall, R. (1993). Substance use and risky sexual behavior for exposure to HIV. American Psychologist, 48, 1035.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Benotsch, E. G., Seeley, S., Mikytuck, J. J., Pinkerton, S. D., Nettles, C. D., & Ragsdale, K. (2006). Substance use, medications for sexual facilitation, and sexual risk behavior among traveling men who have sex with men. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 33, 706–711.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Benotsch, E. G., Nettles, C. D., Wong, F., et al. (2007). Sexual risk behavior in men attending Mardi gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana. Journal of Community Health: The Publication for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, 32, 343–356.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Colfax, G. N., Mansergh, G., Guzman, R., et al. (2001). Drug use and sexual risk behavior among gay and bisexual men who attend circuit parties: A venue-based comparison. JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 28, 373.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Kaufman, M. R., Fuhrel-Forbis, A. R., Kalichman, S. C., et al. (2009). On holiday: A risk behavior profile for men who have vacationed at gay resorts. Journal of Homosexuality, 56, 1134–1144.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Padilla, M. B. (2008). The embodiment of tourism among bisexually-behaving dominican male sex workers. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 37, 783–793.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Padilla, M. B., Guilamo-Ramos, V., Bouris, A., & Reyes, A. M. (2010). HIV/AIDS and tourism in the caribbean: An ecological systems perspective. American Journal of Public Health, 100, 70–77.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Fall, L. T. (2005). What kinds of travelers are surfing the Net? A market segmentation study. Journal of Website Promotion, 1, 75–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Sangpikul, A. (2010). Marketing tourism through the internet: A case of ecotourism business in Thailand. International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, 11, 107–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Green, M., Cejka, A., Benotsch, E. G., Seal, D. W., Redmann, J., Fegley, J. et al. (2009). Factors influencing HIV risk and preventive behavior among MSM vacationing in gay-friendly tourist destinations. Poster presented at the 35th Annual Meeting of the International Academy of Sex Research, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

  29. Benotsch, E., Kalichman, S., & Cage, M. (2002). Men who have met sex partners via the Internet: Prevalence, predictors, and implications for HIV prevention. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31, 177–183.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Bull, S. S., McFarlane, M., & Rietmeijer, C. (2001). HIV and sexually transmitted infection risk behaviors among men seeking sex with men on-line. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 988–989.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Grov, C., Bamonte, A., Fuentes, A., Parsons, J. T., Bimbi, D. S., & Morgenstern, J. (2008). Exploring the Internet’s role in sexual compulsivity and out of control sexual thoughts/behaviour: A qualitative study of gay and bisexual men in New York City. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 10, 107–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Rosser, B. R. S., Oakes, J., Horvath, K., Konstan, J., Danilenko, G., & Peterson, J. (2009). HIV sexual risk behavior by men who use the internet to seek sex with men: Results of the Men’s Internet Sex Study-II (MINTS-II). AIDS and Behavior, 13, 488–498.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Gore-Felton, C., Kalichman, S., Brondino, M., Benotsch, E., Cage, M., & DiFonzo, K. (2006). Childhood sexual abuse and HIV risk among men who have sex with men: Initial test of a conceptual model. Journal of Family Violence, 21, 263–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Grov, C., Parsons, J., & Bimbi, D. (2007). Sexual risk behavior and venues for meeting sex partners: An intercept survey of gay and bisexual men in LA and NYC. AIDS and Behavior, 11, 915–926.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Nettles, C. D., Benotsch, E. G., & Uban, K. (2009). Sexual risk behaviors among men who have sex with men using erectile dysfunction medications. AIDS Patient Care & STDs, 23, 1017–1023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Halkitis, P. N., & Parsons, J. T. (2002). Recreational drug use and HIV-risk sexual behavior among men frequenting gay social venues. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 14, 19–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. The Center. Pridefest. 2010; http://pridefestdenver.org/PrideFest.aspx [online]. Last accessed on June 10, 2010.

  38. Kalichman, S., Benotsch, E., Rompa, D., et al. (2001). Unwanted sexual experiences and sexual risks in gay and bisexual men: Associations among revictimization, substance use and psychiatric symptoms. Journal of Sex Research, 38, 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. HIV and AIDS in Colorado: Surveillance Report (through March 2010). http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/dc/HIVandSTD/HIVAIDS_Surveillance.Report.Mar.10.pdf [online]. Last accessed June 10, 2010.

  40. Napper, L. E., Fisher, D. G., Reynolds, G. L., & Johnson, M. E. (2010). HIV risk behavior self-report reliability at different recall periods. AIDS and Behavior, 14, 152–161.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Pinkerton, S., Benotsch, E., & Mikytuck, J. (2007). When do simpler sexual behavior data collection techniques suffice? An analysis of consequent uncertainty in HIV acquisition risk estimates. Evaluation Review, 31, 401–412.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Hays, W. L. (1988). Statistics (4th ed.). Fort Worth: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Horvath, K., Beadnell, B., & Bowen, A. (2006). Sensation seeking as a moderator of Internet use on sexual risk taking among men who have sex with men. Sexuality Research & Social Policy: A Journal of the NSRC, 3, 77–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Wickens, E., & Sönmez, S. (2007). Casual sex in the sun makes the holiday: Young Tourists’ perspectives. In Y. Apostolopoulos & S. Sönmez (Eds.), Population mobility and infectious disease. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  45. Bowen, A., Williams, M., Daniel, C., & Clayton, S. (2008). Internet based HIV prevention research targeting rural MSM: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31, 463–477.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Rhodes, S. (2004). Hookups or health promotion? An exploratory study of a chat room-based HIV prevention intervention for men who have sex with men. AIDS Education and Prevention, 16, 315–327.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Benotsch, E. G., Stevenson, L. Y., Sitzler, C., Kelly, J. A., Makhaye, G., Mathey, E. D., et al. (2004). HIV prevention in Africa: Programs and populations served by non-governmental organizations. Journal of Community Health, 29, 319–336.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Kelly, J. A., Somlai, A. M., Benotsch, E. G., Amirkhania, Y., & Fernandez, M. I. (2006). Programs, barriers, and populations served by NGOs in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. AIDS Care, 18, 12–21.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Benotsch, E., Wright, V., deRoon Cassini, T., Pinkerton, S., Weinhardt, L., & Kelly, J. (2006). Use of the internet for HIV prevention by AIDS service organizations in the United States. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 24, 19–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by NIMH grants: R21-MH078790 (Eric G. Benotsch, Principal Investigator) and P30-MH52776 (Jeffrey A. Kelly, Principal Investigator).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 842018, Richmond, VA, 23284-2018, USA

    Eric G. Benotsch & Aaron M. Martin

  2. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Flint M. Espil

  3. George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Christopher D. Nettles

  4. Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    David W. Seal & Steven D. Pinkerton

Authors
  1. Eric G. Benotsch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aaron M. Martin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Flint M. Espil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Christopher D. Nettles
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. David W. Seal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Steven D. Pinkerton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric G. Benotsch.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Benotsch, E.G., Martin, A.M., Espil, F.M. et al. Internet Use, Recreational Travel, and HIV Risk Behaviors in Men Who Have Sex With Men. J Community Health 36, 398–405 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-010-9321-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-010-9321-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation