Survey on AIDS/STD Risk Behaviors and Prevalence Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Zhongshan, Guangdong

Objective To know the HIV risk behaviors, HIV, HCV and syphilis infection rates among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Zhongshan, Guangdong, and to explore the influencing factors of HIV infection among them. Methods MSM were recruited through voluntary counseling and testing clinics and local non-governmental homosexuality organization in 2009. With structured questionnaires, face to face interview was conducted and the blood samples were collected for HIV, syphilis and HCV tests. Results A total of 207 MSM were recruited. The prevalence rates of HIV, syphilis and HCV were 5.3% (11/207), 2.4 % (5/207) and 0, respectively. In the past 6 months, 78.7% (163/207) of the investigated MSM had anal sex with males. Among them, 49.7% (81/163) had 2 or more male sexual partners, and only 34.4% (56/163) reported consistent condom use during anal intercourse. Multiple Logistic regression analysis indicated that those who had more male anal sexual partners during the past 6 months (AOR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.04～1.42) were more likely to be HIV sero-positive, and those who were married or cohabiting (AOR=4.32, 95%CI: 1.09～17.04) had higher HIV prevalence rate than those who were unmarried, divorced or widowed. Conclusions A high HIV infection rate and high risk behaviors are observed among MSM in Zhongshan. Targeted interventions are necessary to prevent HIV spread in MSM.