Freeman AC, Krepcho M, Hedrich A, Schenk C, Elwood B, Seibt A, McAlister A; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1992 Jul 19-24; 8: C261 (abstract no. PoC 4099).
Dallas County Health Dept., TX.
OBJECTIVES: Men who have sex with other men but do not self-identify as gay may be at increased risk for HIV infection from isolation and secrecy. The data were collected prior to an intervention to encourage anonymous HIV counseling and antibody testing. METHODS: All 1435 men who came into the Dallas County anonymous HIV antibody testing site from December 1990 through June 1991 completed a questionnaire on past oral and anal sex with a man, disclosure of same sex activity to others, sexual identify, HIV information-seeking and communication, and connections to the gay community. The analysis compared 369 men who had sex with another man since 1977. RESULTS: The men who identified as bisexual or straight saw themselves at lower risk for HIV infection (p less than .05), but more often had injection drug use (IDU) and prostitute partners (p less than .01), had been prostitutes (p less than .001), and more often were of ethnic and racial minorities (p less than .001). Recent IDU behavior did not differ but straight and bisexual men had more history of IDU, met partners more frequently in parks and on streets and more often had no steady lover (p less than .001). The HIV infection rate was 2% for straight men, and 16% and 14% for gay and bisexual men (n.s.). Gay men had stronger connections to HIV information (p less than .001). Bisexual and straight men were much less likely to tell family members, friends, and coworkers about their sexual behavior (p less than .001); less than 40% of any group had told their female partners. CONCLUSIONS: Men who have sex with other men and do not self-identify as gay are at considerable risk for HIV infection from their anonymous, high risk male partners. This risk is compounded by isolation from information and normative support for safer sex that come from disclosure and gay identification. Innovative HIV prevention efforts must be developed to reach these men and provide the incentives necessary for effective behavior change.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Bisexuality
- Disclosure
- Female
- HIV Antibodies
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Homosexuality
- Homosexuality, Male
- Humans
- Male
- Questionnaires
- Safe Sex
- Sexual Behavior
- Substance-Related Disorders
Other ID:
UI: 102199522
From Meeting Abstracts