On-line dating: Is it a new computer virus’?
Connection between on-line partners, risky sex
A recent study shows a link between very high-risk sexual behavior and meeting sex partners on-line, according to New York researchers.
Investigators surveyed people via the Internet last summer for a study about men engaging in high-risk sexual behavior.
"Our first focus was not on the Internet as a method of meeting people," says Mary Ann Chiasson, DrPH, vice president of research and evaluation at the Medical & Health Research Association of New York City. "Our original intent was really to use the Internet as a tool. Our first surprise was that we had a large and rapid response to the survey."
Just under 20% of the survey participants reported having sex with both men and women, Chiasson notes. "That’s certainly a group of men that prevention people are interested in meeting."
And the study concluded that the Internet plays a role in connecting new sexual partners who engage in unprotected anal sex, especially among HIV-positive men.1
"What this study tells me is that we are seeing a resurgence in high-risk behavior and that either the prevention messages are no longer working or we need new prevention messages," she says. "Or we have a new population of younger men who haven’t heard the messages and haven’t seen the devastation of the epidemic."
For the next survey, investigators will explore how the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy has changed the way people at risk think about HIV, Chiasson says. "We hear anecdotal reports that people don’t think AIDS is a big deal anymore, and that may play into a resurgence of risk behavior."
Drug use also was commonly reported by those answering the survey. About one-third of respondents reported using marijuana; one-third reported drinking until drunk at least once a week; 8% reported cocaine use; and 20% reported club drug use, she explains.
The ease with which investigators found both HIV-positive men and at-risk men who engage in risky sexual behaviors demonstrates that the Internet might be an ideal tool for certain types of prevention messages, Chiasson adds. "I think the biggest, the most important message from this study is that the Internet has great potential for intervention activities."
Internet prevention strategies are inexpensive, and they direct messages privately to people in their homes, she adds. Moreover, the target audience can be found easily through general interest web sites for gay men, Chiasson says. "There are many sites on the Internet that are solely devoted to sex, and we did not use those sites," she adds. "We had a banner in chatrooms, and they could click on the banner if they wanted to participate."
Reference
1. Chiasson MA, Hirshfield S, Humberstone M, et al. The Internet and high-risk sex among men who have sex with men. Presented at the 10th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Boston; February 2003. Abstract: 37.
A recent study shows a link between very high-risk sexual behavior and meeting sex partners on-line, according to New York researchers.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content