Marseille 2007
Marseille 2007
Abstract book
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Abstract #397  -  Contrasts of Demographics and Sexual Behaviors between Indian and US Internet Samples of Men Who Have Sex With Men.
Session:
  20.1: New tools, new toys (Parallel) on Monday @ 14.00-16.00 in PR Chaired by John De Wit, Seth Kalichman
Authors:
  Presenting Author:   Prof Michael Ross - University of Texas, United States
 
  Additional Authors:  Dr Seth Welles, Dr Swagata Banik, Dr Leslie Fisher, Dr Rachel Kachur, Dr Mary  McFarlane, Prof Cornelius Rietmeijer, Mr Donald Allensworth-Davies,  
Aim:
While little has been published on United States Internet-based samples of men who have sex with men (MSM), virtually nothing is known about the demographics, and sexual orientation and behaviors for MSM from Indiaa country with rapidly increasing rates of Internet use.
 
Method / Issue:
Findings are included for 284 Indian MSM who were recruited online over six months in 2006 by online advertising, and by flyers posted at MSM venues in Bombay, Pune, Bangalore and Delhi. Flyers were also distributed by local gay support groups in Southern India at their meetings. Data were contrasted with those for an Internet survey of 1000 MSM recruited ten months earlier.
 
Results / Comments:
Compared with the US Internet sample, Indian MSM were significantly (p<0.0001) younger (median age 28 vs. 34 yrs), better educated (83% vs. 50% having at least graduated a four-year college), more affluent (10% vs. 22% lower income), and had similar rates of employment (85%). In sharp contrast to US MSM, Indian MSM significantly (p<0.0001 less often identified as gay/homosexual (24% vs. 78%), and more often identified as bisexual (53% vs. 13%), being MSM (13% vs. 5%) or heterosexual (5% vs. 1%). Indian MSM were significantly more likely to be married or have primary female partners (25% vs. 6%), but equally as likely to have primary male partners (30%) when compared with US MSM. Compared with US MSM, Indian MSM were sharply less likely to disclose that they were having sex with other men to their primary female partners (9% vs. 44% among men reporting primary female partners), primary male partners (53% vs. 94%, among men reporting primary male partners), and most others including family, doctors, and friends. 30% of Indian MSM reported disclosing their sexual behaviors to no one, vs. 8% of US MSM (p<0.0001 for all comparisons). Both Indian and US MSM had similar rates of ever using the Internet to find male sex partners (66%), and had similar (p=0.90) numbers of days in previous 60 when the Internet was used to find male sex partners (20 vs. 15 days, for Indian and US MSM, respectively). Indian MSM reported significantly (p<0.0001) fewer males partners during lifetime (medians: 20 vs.50) or in past 60 days (medians: 2 vs. 3), and had found greater percentages of male partners via the Internet during their lifetime (medians: 66% vs. 50%) or in past 60 days (medians: 100% vs 83%) compared with US MSM. Finally, Indian MSM were significantly (p=0.003) more likely to have used condoms at last anal sex with primary (47% vs. 31%) or secondary male partners (79% vs. 58%) found online.
 
Discussion:
While lifetime and recent rates of seeking male sex partners online are similar for Internet samples of Indian and US MSM, more Indian MSM are using the Internet to meet male partners. While sex with Internet partners has been associated with increased risk for HIV and STIs in the US, our data suggest that Indian men, who are more often non-gay-identifying and more often have female partners, more often use condoms for anal sex with men and thus mitigate their sexual risk.
 
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