The impact of Grindr advertising on attendance and HIV testing by men who have sex with men at a sexual health clinic in northern Sydney

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 989-995
Author(s):  
Ashley Ubrihien ◽  
Andrew C Stone ◽  
Karen Byth ◽  
Stephen C Davies
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Time Trends ◽  
Rate Ratio ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
The Impact

Grindr is a geolocation smartphone application popular among men who have sex with men (MSM) to find sexual partners. We conducted a study to assess if attendance and HIV testing amongst MSM increased due to advertisements on Grindr that promoted our service. We measured clinic website hits by users clicking through from Grindr; we counted self-reported registrations that nominated referral from Grindr; and we compared new patient attendances and HIV tests in MSM with heterosexual men, for the 18 months preceding the intervention and the 18 months of the intervention. During the intervention the clinic’s website received 11,799 unique hits from Grindr users. The average monthly rate of attendances by new MSM increased 70.3% from 19.0 to 32.3, compared with a 5.5% increase among new heterosexual men from 45.6 to 48.1. The average monthly rate of HIV tests among MSM increased 43.6% from 47.0 to 67.6, compared with a 3.9% increase amongst heterosexual men from 40.0 to 41.6. The MSM:heterosexual men rate ratio for new patient attendances changed from 0.42 to 0.67 ( p < 0.001, adjusted for possible underlying time trends in each period), and for HIV tests this rate ratio changed from 1.18 to 1.63 ( p < 0.001, adjusted for possible underlying time trends in each period). The effects of the intervention did not significantly change over the course of the 18-month intervention. This study suggests that advertising on Grindr was effective and durable as a means of increasing attendance and HIV testing rates among MSM in northern Sydney.

Introduction of screening guidelines for men who have sex with men at an STD clinic, the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Australia

Sexual Health ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nichole A. Lister ◽  
Anthony Smith ◽  
Christopher K. Fairley
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Chlamydia Screening ◽  
Screening Guidelines ◽  
Computer Reminder ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
New Guidelines ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Impact

Background: A recent audit indicated that a substantial proportion of men who have sex with men (MSM) were not screened for rectal gonorrhoea and chlamydia at the Melbourne Sexual Health Clinic, Melbourne, Australia. In response, screening guidelines for MSM were introduced at the clinic using a computer reminder. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the guidelines and alert on screening MSM for gonorrhoea and chlamydia. Methods: The medical records of MSM were reviewed for gonorrhoea and chlamydia screening by site (pharyngeal, urethral and rectal), four months before the implementation of the guidelines and alert (July to October 2002), and one year thereafter (beginning November 2002). Results: After the introduction of the guidelines there was a significant increase in rectal chlamydia testing (55% to 67%, P < 0.001), and significant reduction in pharyngeal chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing (65% to 28%, P < 0.001, and 83% to 76%, P = 0.015 respectively). The proportion of tests that were positive by any site did not change (7% to 7%). Conclusions: The introduction of a computer reminder for new guidelines was temporally associated with screening that conformed more closely to clinical guidelines.

Fuckbuddy partnerships among men who have sex with men – a marker of sexually transmitted infection risk

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent J Cornelisse ◽  
Christopher K Fairley ◽  
Tiffany Phillips ◽  
Sandra Walker ◽  
Eric PF Chow
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
Romantic Attachment ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Transmitted Infection ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Hiv Prevention Strategies ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

‘Fuckbuddies’ are a type of regular sexual partner with whom men have ongoing sexual contact, generally in the absence of romantic attachment. We surveyed 989 men who have sex with men (MSM) at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Australia, with the aim of determining the frequency of ‘fuckbuddy’ partnerships among sexual health clinic attendees and assessing their sexual risk. The majority (60%) of 1139 regular partnerships were described as ‘fuckbuddies’. Most MSM (63%) with a ‘fuckbuddy’ had multiple ‘fuckbuddies’. MSM with ‘fuckbuddies’ were more likely to also have casual sexual partners (odds ratio [OR] 5.7; 95% confidence interval 3.6–8.9) and had more casual sexual partners (median of 4 versus 1, p < 0.001) and more rectal chlamydia (12.4% versus 5.7%; adjusted OR 2.3; p < 0.05) than MSM without ‘fuckbuddies’, and this risk persisted after adjusting for total numbers of sexual partners. Our findings suggest that patients with ‘fuckbuddies’ are at particular risk of sexually transmitted infections. We argue that clinicians should specifically ask about ‘fuckbuddy’ partnerships as part of their risk assessment during patient interviews, as these patients may benefit from HIV prevention strategies such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

scholarly journals HIV testing amongst older sexual health clinic attendees in England: an epidemiological study

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadie Bell ◽  
Joy Adamson ◽  
Fabiola Martin ◽  
Tim Doran
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Health Clinics ◽  
Hiv Test ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Sexual Health Clinics

Older adults with HIV are at increased risk of late diagnosis. We aimed to explore the association between age and HIV testing rates in sexual health clinics in England using Public Health England data for 2009–2014. We investigated associations between attendee age and likelihood of HIV test offer, acceptance, and coverage. For each year, increasing age was associated with reduced likelihood of test offer (Rs −0.797 to −0.958, p < 0·01). Offer rates were highest for men who have sex with men (MSM), and lowest for heterosexual females (HSFs). HSFs had the greatest decline in offer rates with age (from 86.2% for age 25–29 to 52.1% for age 70+ in 2014). Odds ratios for test offer in 2014 for attendees aged 15–49 compared with attendees aged 50+ were 1.94 (95%CI: 1.88, 2.00) for heterosexual males (HSMs), 1.86 (95%CI: 1.81, 1.91) for HSFs, and 1.54 (95%CI: 1.45, 1.64) for MSM. Overall, there was no significant association between age and test acceptance in any year (Rs −0.070 to −0.547; p > 0·05). The strongest determinant of acceptance was sexual orientation; for attendees aged 50+, compared with HSMs, acceptance was higher for MSM (OR: 1.10; 95%CI: 1.06, 1.13) and lower for HSFs (OR: 0.30; 95%CI: 0.30, 0.31).

HIV results by phone: can we predict who will test HIV-negative?

Sexual Health ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Wright ◽  
Nathan Ryder ◽  
Anna M. McNulty
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Hiv Test ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Pro Forma

Introduction: In order to review the requirement for all patients to return for HIV test results, we sought to describe the number of cases of HIV infection detected at Sydney Sexual Health Centre among people who did not disclose known risk factors before testing. Method: The clinic database identified all HIV testing episodes between January 2004 and January 2007, along with gender, gender of sexual partners and test result. Pro-forma medical records were reviewed for each person who tested positive for gender of sexual partners, condom use, and sexual contact with a person from a country known to have a high HIV prevalence and injecting drug use. Results: During the 3-year period, a total of 13 290 HIV tests were performed. In men who have sex with men, 6194 tests were performed and 55 (0.88%) tested positive. In women and heterosexual men 7096 tests were performed, and only four (0.06%) tested positive. All four reported known risks for HIV before testing. Conclusion: Clients with no recognised risk factors for HIV are unlikely to test positive at our Australian sexual health clinic. Providing the option for low risk people to obtain their results other than face to face has advantages for both the clinic in terms of service provision and the clients in terms of time and the proportion who receive their result.

Sexual Health Communication of Black Men Who Have Sex With Men Who Met On or Offline: A Secondary Data Analysis (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob D Gordon ◽  
Andre L Brown ◽  
Darren L Whitfield
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Sexual Partner ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Hiv Status ◽  
Sexual Health Communication ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Traditional Masculinity

BACKGROUND Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) continue to experience disproportionate rates of HIV/STI infection despite advances in effective prevention tools. Over the last decade the method of finding sexual partners has evolved, with BMSM increasingly using geospatial dating applications to find sexual partners. Sexual health communication between partners has been associated with safer sex practices by previous scholars, but it is unclear how sexual health communication of BMSM differs for sex partners found on or offline. OBJECTIVE The current study explored sexual health communication in relationship to how one found their last sexual partner and factors associated with poorer sexual health communication. METHODS This study used secondary data in the form of a self-administered national survey. BMSM were recruited online and in-person and answered questions about their sexual health behaviors regarding their last sexual partner. RESULTS In total, 403 individuals were included in the analysis. The majority of respondents 55.8% (225/403) were more likely to have found their last sexual partner through geospatial dating applications and online websites than offline venues 44.3% (178/225). There was not a significant difference in scores of sexual health communication between those who found their last sexual partner on or offline (P=.49). Additionally, sexual health communication was also not significantly associated (P = .25) based on the venue of their last sexual partner after controlling for covariates. Significant predictors of lower sexual health communication of BMSM were found: positive HIV status (P = .003), a casual partner type (P < .001), and endorsement of traditional masculinity ideologies (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS Findings from this study confirm high rates of sexual partner seeking via online venues among BMSM. The significant predictors of lower sexual health communication, endorsement of traditional masculinity ideologies and positive HIV status, suggest that stigma is a barrier to effective sexual health communication of BMSM.

Confirmatory testing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a sexual health clinic: implications for epidemiology and treatment policy

2021 ◽  
pp. sextrans-2020-054525
Author(s):  
Myrte Tielemans ◽  
Mireille van Westreenen ◽  
Corné Klaassen ◽  
Hannelore M Götz
Keyword(s):  
Neisseria Gonorrhoeae ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Nucleic Acid Amplification ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Transmitted Infection ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Confirmatory Testing ◽  
European Guidelines

ObjectivesEuropean guidelines advise the use of dual nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) in order to minimise the inappropriate diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) in urogenital samples from low prevalence areas and in extragenital specimens. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the effect of confirmatory testing and confirmation policy on the Ng-positivity in a population visiting the sexual health clinic in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.MethodsApart from urogenital testing, extragenital (oropharyngeal/anorectal) testing was performed for men who have sex with men (MSM) and according to sexual exposure for women and heterosexual men. Ng detection using NAAT was performed using BD Viper and for confirmatory testing BD MAX. Sexual transmitted infection consultation data were merged with diagnostic data from August 2015 through May 2016.ResultsIn women (n=4175), oral testing was performed in 84% and 22% were tested anally. In MSM (n=1828), these percentages were 97% and 96%, respectively. Heterosexual men (n=3089) were tested urogenitally. After confirmatory testing, oropharyngeal positivity rates decreased from 7.3% (95% CI 6.5 to 8.2) to 1.5% (95% CI 1.1 to 1.8) in women and from 13.9% (95% CI 12.3 to 15.5) to 5.4% (95% CI 4.3 to 6.4) in MSM. Anorectal positivity rates decreased from 2.6% (95% CI 1.6 to 3.7) to 1.8% (95% CI 0.9 to 2.6) in women and from 9.3% (95% CI 7.9 to 10.7) to 7.2% (95% CI 6.0 to 8.5) in MSM. Urogenital Ng-positivity rate ranged between 3.0% and 4.4% and after confirmation between 2.3% and 3.9%. When confirming oropharyngeal samples, Ng-positivity was 3.8% in women, 3.0% in heterosexual men and 12.5% in MSM. Additional confirmation of urogenital and anorectal samples led to 3.0% Ng positivity in women, 2.7% in heterosexual men and 11.4% in MSM.ConclusionsConfirmation of urogenital and anorectal samples reduced the Ng-positivity rates, especially for women. However, as there is no gold standard for the confirmation of Ng infection, the dilemma within public health settings is to choose between two evils: missing diagnoses or overtreatment. In view of the large decrease in oropharyngeal positivity, confirmation Ng-positivity in oropharyngeal samples remains essential to avoid unnecessary treatment.

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