The characteristic of behavior and HIV prevalence among 1315 men who have sex with men in Guangzhou

Objective To understand the high risk behaviors and HIV infection among men who have sex with men(MSM) in Guangzhou so as to provide scientific evidence for adopting effective interventions.Methods Voluntary counseling and testing(VCT) was provided for MSM.An anonymous questionnaire survey and a test for HIV and syphilis antibody were performed after permission.The data collected in 2009 were analyzed.Results The average age of MSM in Guangzhou was 27 years,with 60.61% from 20 to 30 years.The average age for the first sexual behavior with men was 23 years,with 65.20% under 25 years.Of the surveyed MSM,41.22% had more than one sexual partner.Only 66.68% of MSM used condoms when having intercourse with men recently,and 56.20% of them used condoms in all sexual behaviors with men in the last month.The infection rate of HIV was 5.40% and the detection rate of syphilis was 6.77%.The rate of condom use in passive anal sex intercourses was lower than in the active ones.There was higher risk to HIV and syphilis infection among MSM with lower educational background.Conclusions HIV infections and unsafe sexual behaviors among MSM in Guangzhou are relatively high.It is possible for HIV to spread from MSM to the general population.