Physical Distancing Due to COVID-19 Disrupts Sexual Behaviors Among Gay and Bisexual Men in Australia: Implications for Trends in HIV and Other Sexually Transmissible Infections

被引：103

作者：

Hammoud, Mohamed A. ^{[1
]}

Maher, Lisa ^{[1
]}

Holt, Martin ^{[2
]}

Degenhardt, Louisa ^{[3
]}

Jin, Fengyi ^{[1
]}

Murphy, Dean ^{[1
]}

Bavinton, Benjamin ^{[1
]}

Grulich, Andrew ^{[1
]}

Lea, Toby ^{[2
]}

Haire, Bridget ^{[1
]}

Bourne, Adam ^{[4
]}

Saxton, Peter ^{[5
]}

Vaccher, Stefanie ^{[1
]}

Ellard, Jeanne ^{[6
]}

Mackie, Brent ^{[7
]}

Batrouney, Colin ^{[8
]}

Bath, Nicky ^{[9
]}

Prestage, Garrett ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] UNSW Sydney, Kirby Inst, Kensington, NSW, Australia

[2] UNSW Sydney, Ctr Social Res Hlth, Kensington, NSW, Australia

[3] UNSW Sydney, Natl Drug & Alcohol Res Ctr NDARC, Kensington, NSW, Australia

[4] La Trobe Univ, Australian Res Ctr Sex Hlth & Soc, Melbourne, Vic, Australia

[5] Univ Auckland, Dept Social & Community Hlth, Sch Populat Hlth, Auckland, New Zealand

[6] Australian Federat AIDS Org AFAO, Newtown, Tas, Australia

[7] ACON Hlth, Sydney, NSW, Australia

[8] Thorne Harbour Hlth, Melbourne, Vic, Australia

[9] Natl LGBTI Hlth Alliance, Sydney, NSW, Australia

来源：

JAIDS-JOURNAL OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROMES | 2020年 / 85卷 / 03期

关键词：

GBM; HIV; men who have sex with men (MSM); SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus (COVID-19); physical distancing; STIs; SURVEILLANCE; RISKS;

D O I：

10.1097/QAI.0000000000002462

中图分类号：

R392 [医学免疫学]; Q939.91 [免疫学];

学科分类号：

100102 ;

摘要：

Introduction: In March 2020, Australian state and federal governments introduced physical distancing measures alongside widespread testing to combat COVID-19. These measures may decrease people's sexual contacts and thus reduce the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs). We investigated the impact of physical distancing measures due to COVID-19 on the sexual behavior of gay and bisexual men in Australia. Methods: Between April 4, 2020, and April 29, 2020, 940 participants in an ongoing cohort study responded to questions to measure changes in sexual behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Men reported the date they become concerned about COVID-19 and whether they engaged in sexual behavior with regular or casual partners or "fuckbuddies" in the 6 months before becoming concerned about COVID-19 (hereafter referred to as "before COVID-19"), and following the date, they become concerned about COVID-19 (hereafter referred to as "since COVID-19"). Before and since COVID-19 was based on individual participants' own perceived date of becoming concerned about COVID-19. Results: The mean age of was 39.9 years (SD: 13.4). Most participants (88.3%) reported sex with other men during the 6 months before COVID-19. Of the 587 men (62.4%) who reported sex with casual partners before COVID-19, 93 (15.8%) continued to do so in the period since COVID-19, representing a relative reduction of 84.2%. Conclusion: Gay and bisexual men in Australia have dramatically reduced their sexual contacts with other men since COVID-19. These behavioral changes will likely result in short-term reductions in new HIV and STI diagnoses. If sexual health screenings are undertaken before resuming sexual activity, this could present a novel opportunity to interrupt chains of HIV and STI transmission.

引用

页码：309 / 315

页数：7

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