Self-reported STIs and sexual health checks in a cross-sectional study of gay and bisexual men in New Zealand

ObjectivesA mathematical model suggested that a significant proportion of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea cases are acquired via oropharynx-to-oropharynx transmission (ie, tongue-kissing), but to date, no empirical study has investigated this. This study aimed to examine the association between kissing and oropharyngeal gonorrhoea among gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (MSM).MethodsMSM attending a public sexual health centre in Melbourne, Australia, between March 2016 and February 2017 were invited to participate in a brief survey that collected data on their number of male partners in the last 3 months, in three distinct categories: kissing-only (ie, no sex including no oral and/or anal sex), sex-only (ie, any sex without kissing), and kissing-with-sex (ie, kissing with any sex). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between oropharyngeal gonorrhoea positivity by nucleic acid amplification tests and the three distinct partner categories.ResultsA total of 3677 men completed the survey and were tested for oropharyngeal gonorrhoea. Their median age was 30 (IQR 25–37) and 6.2% (n=229) had oropharyngeal gonorrhoea. Men had a mean number of 4.3 kissing-only, 1.4 sex-only, and 5.0 kissing-with-sex partners in the last 3 months. Kissing-only and kissing-with-sex were associated with oropharyngeal gonorrhoea, but sex-only was not. The adjusted odds for having oropharyngeal gonorrhoea were 1.46-fold (95% CI 1.04 to 2.06) for men with ≥4 kissing-only partners and 1.81-fold (95% CI 1.17 to 2.79) for men with ≥4 kissing-with-sex partners.ConclusionsThese data suggest that kissing may be associated with transmission of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea in MSM, irrespective of whether sex also occurs.

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NZPrEP Demonstration Project: protocol for an open-label, single-arm trial of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to determine feasibility, acceptability, adverse and behavioural effects of PrEP provision to gay and bisexual men in publicly funded sexual health clinics in Auckland, New Zealand

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026363 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. e026363 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sunita Azariah ◽

Peter Saxton ◽

Richard Franklin ◽

Rose Forster ◽

Suzanne Werder ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Sexual Health ◽

Gay And Bisexual Men ◽

Demonstration Project ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

Publicly Funded ◽

Open Label ◽

Behavioural Effects ◽

And Bisexual ◽

Exposure Prophylaxis

IntroductionNew Zealand has experienced a rise in HIV diagnoses in recent years and new interventions are required to address this.Methods and analysisNZPrEP (A demonstration project of HIV preexposure prophylaxis in Aotearoa New Zealand) is an open-label, single-arm treatment evaluation study to investigate feasibility, retention, adherence, and clinical and behavioural outcomes of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) provision to gay and bisexual men (GBM) in a publicly funded secondary sexual health service in Auckland, New Zealand. The sample size is 150 GBM. Inclusion criteria were specific behavioural risk factors indicating an increased risk of HIV infection. Exclusion criteria were hepatitis B infection, any medical contraindications to prescribing tenofovir/emtricitabine or factors limiting ability to adhere to the study protocol. Eligible participants will be screened for HIV and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and for any medical contraindications to PrEP, and enrolled for a maximum follow-up period of 96 weeks. They will be required to attend for 3-monthly testing for HIV and STIs and monitoring for renal and liver toxicity. Participants will also be required to complete an online behavioural survey after each study visit. The outcomes of interest are feasibility of PrEP provision in a sexual health clinic setting, PrEP acceptability, and adverse medical and behavioural effects of PrEP. The study sample is limited to 150 participants due to funding and service constraints. Statistical analysis of all primary and secondary outcomes will be performed using Stata V.14 at the University of Auckland. Results for primary and secondary endpoints will be reported after the conclusion of the study in March 2019.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the Health and Disability Ethics Committee on 15 September 2016 (16/NTA/112). Key findings will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals. A summary report will be circulated to the study and community stakeholders, and to the Auckland District Health Board, Ministry of Health and Pharmac.Trial registration numberACTRN12616001387415; Pre-results.

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Exploring the role of sex-seeking apps and websites in the social and sexual lives of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: a cross-sectional study

Sexual Health ◽

10.1071/sh16150 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 229 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Kiffer G. Card ◽

Nathan J. Lachowsky ◽

Zishan Cui ◽

Susan Shurgold ◽

Maya Gislason ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sensation Seeking ◽

Gay And Bisexual Men ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Social Interventions ◽

Gay Community ◽

Social Time ◽

And Bisexual ◽

Sex With Men

Background The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between online sex-seeking, community/social attachment and sexual behaviour. Methods: Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit 774 sexually active gay and bisexual men in Vancouver, Canada, aged ≥16 years. Multivariable logistic regression compared men who had used online sex-seeking apps/websites in the past 6 months (n = 586) with those who did not (n = 188). Results: Multivariable results showed that online sex seekers were more likely to be younger [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.95, 95% CI: (0.93–0.96)], college educated [aOR = 1.60, 95% CI: (1.07, 2.40)], have more Facebook friends [aOR = 1.07, 95% CI: (1.01, 1.13)], spend more social time with other gay men [aOR = 1.99, 95% CI: (1.33–2.97)], and were less likely to identify emotionally with the gay community [aOR = 0.93, 95% CI: (0.86–1.00)]. Further, they had displayed high sensation-seeking behaviour [aOR = 1.08, 95% CI: (1.03–1.13)], were more likely to engage in serodiscordant/unknown condomless anal sex [aOR = 2.34, 95% CI: (1.50–3.66)], use strategic positioning [aOR = 1.72, 95% CI: (1.08–2.74)], ask their partner’s HIV-status prior to sex [aOR = 2.06, 95% CI: (1.27–3.37)], and have ever been tested for HIV [aOR = 4.11, 95% CI: (2.04–8.29)]. Conclusion: These findings highlight the online and offline social behaviour exhibited by gay and bisexual men, pressing the need for pro-social interventions to promote safe-sex norms online. We conclude that both Internet and community-based prevention will help reach app/web users.

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Illicit drug use among New Zealand gay and bisexual men: Prevalence and association with sexual health behaviours

Drug and Alcohol Review ◽

10.1111/dar.12536 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 180-187 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Peter Saxton ◽

David Newcombe ◽

Arslan Ahmed ◽

Nigel Dickson ◽

Anthony Hughes

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Drug Use ◽

Sexual Health ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Health Behaviours ◽

Illicit Drug Use ◽

Gay And Bisexual Men ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

And Bisexual

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Condomless Group Sex Is Associated With HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Knowledge and Interest Uptake: A Cross-Sectional Study of Gay and Bisexual Men in Paris, France

AIDS Education and Prevention ◽

10.1521/aeap.2019.31.2.127 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 127-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Denton Callander ◽

Su Hyun Park ◽

Yazan A. Al-Ajlouni ◽

John A. Schneider ◽

Maria R. Khan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Gay And Bisexual Men ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Recent Experience ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Once Daily ◽

And Bisexual ◽

Group Sex ◽

Exposure Prophylaxis

As a prevention strategy, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) may benefit men who participate in group sex, but little is known about PrEP among this group internationally and virtually nothing is known of the European context. This study used an online survey of gay men living in Paris, France to assess associations between group sex and awareness of, use and interest in PrEP in its once-daily, episodic, injectable, and microbicidal forms. Men reporting recent (within 3 months) condomless group sex were much more likely to report once-daily PrEP use than men with no group sex experience (41.5% vs 7.7%, p < .001). Uptake was similarly low among men who had group sex with condoms (8.0%) and those with less-recent experience (6.43%). Overall, willingness to use PrEP—including its non-daily forms—was high among men reporting group sex, suggesting opportunities for outreach and implementation.

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