Chlamydia Infection Among Digital Daters and Nondigital Daters

Objectives The aim of the study was to investigate whether the use of dating apps is a risk factor for acquiring Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections. Methods Patients attending the drop-in facility at the STI clinic at Umea University Hospital between April 2016 and November 2017 were asked to fill in a survey about their sexual preferences and behaviors, including dating app use. Results Of 943 participants, 80 (8.5%) received a CT diagnosis (34 women and 46 men). Dating app users did not seem to have an increased risk of CT infection. Having 3 or more sex partners within the last year was a risk factor for CT only among those not using a dating app. Alcohol use before sex and unprotected sex with a new partner were risk factors for CT infection in the univariate but not in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions Dating app users did not seem to have an increased risk of acquiring CT and for dating app users the seemingly well-established risk factor of having many partners was not valid.