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from Medical Issues
Study of Rural SSA Men
April 18, 2006 -
"Virtual And Physical Venues As Contexts For HIV Risk Among Rural Men Who Have
Sex With Men," was published in the March 2006 issue of Health Psychology.
The study was designed to identify venues in which rural gays meet sexual
partners and to assess HIV risks across these venues. Six hundred and
sixty-three gay males participated in an online survey to describe how they
gained access to sexual partners in rural areas of the country.
Of those, 42% reported meeting partners in bars. One fifth of the men met their
sex partners in adult video stores, parks, and bath houses or pornography
theaters. Ten percent or more met sex partners at potlucks, parties, the gym,
and truck stops.
Four-fifths and one quarter of the men said they met other men using chat rooms
and Internet ads respectively.
Fifty-two percent of those who answered a question on condom use with casual
partners said they did not use condoms all of the time during casual sexual
encounters. Of those who answered if they used condoms during anonymous
encounters, 51.8% reported they did not use condoms all of the time during these
anonymous sexual events.
Thirty percent indicated they used alcohol or drugs during anal intercourse.
Alcohol (21.2%), marijuana (9.4%), and poppers (6%) were the most common
substances used during anal sex.
Twenty-one percent of those responding to a question about multiple sex partners
indicated they had five or more partners in the past three months.
The authors of the study conclude that more research is needed to "understand
the unique culture that develops in each of the risk venues through ethnographic
interviews with MSM (Men who have sex with Men)" and urge that the results of
this research be to "incorporate venue-specific examples that teach at-risk
populations how to communicate about and negotiate safer sexual practices within
those settings."
Additional Reading On Gays And HIV Risks: Medical Issues
Updated: 8 February 2008
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