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Associations Between Methods of Meeting Sexual Partners and Sexual Practices Among Heterosexuals: Cross-sectional Study in Melbourne, Australia
- Source :
- JMIR Formative Research
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- JMIR Publications, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Background The association between meeting partners on the web and sexual practices has been understudied in heterosexuals. Objective This study aims to examine the associations between the methods of meeting partners and sexual practices and HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in heterosexuals. Methods We conducted a survey among heterosexuals attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre in 2019. This survey asked about the methods through which the participants engaged in meeting their sexual partners, sexual practices, and intravenous drug use (IVDU) over the past 3 months. The participants’ HIV and STI (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis) status was obtained from clinical testing. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between each method of meeting and the participants’ sexual practices, IVDU, and STI status. Results A total of 698 participants (325 men and 373 women) were included in the study. Most of the participants reported using only one method to meet partners (222/325, 68.3% men; 245/373, 65.7% women; P=.05). The men met partners most commonly at social venues (eg, bar, pub, or party; 126/325, 38.8%), whereas the women met partners most commonly through friends or family (178/373, 47.7%). Paying for sex was associated with men meeting partners at sex venues (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 145.34, 95% CI 26.13-808.51) and on the internet (AOR 10.00, 95% CI 3.61-27.55). There was no association between IVDU and methods of meeting. Social venues were associated with condomless vaginal sex among men (AOR 3.31, 95% CI 1.94-5.71) and women (AOR 2.58, 95% CI 1.61-4.13) and testing positive for STI among men (AOR 3.04, 95% CI 1.24-7.48) and women (AOR 3.75, 95% CI 1.58-8.89). Conclusions Heterosexuals who met partners at social venues had a more than threefold risk of testing positive for STIs, indicating that heterosexuals may benefit from health promotion campaigns that are delivered through a public setting.
- Subjects :
- dating apps
Cross-sectional study
Gonorrhea
Medicine (miscellaneous)
Health Informatics
Human sexuality
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Medicine
030212 general & internal medicine
sexually transmitted infections
Reproductive health
Original Paper
mobile phone
030505 public health
Chlamydia
business.industry
Odds ratio
health risk behaviors
medicine.disease
Computer Science Applications
Health promotion
Syphilis
internet
0305 other medical science
business
Demography
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2561326X
- Volume :
- 5
- Issue :
- 7
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- JMIR Formative Research
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....8597b810310c2ae30f9581470b283a09