Risk factors for HIV/syphilis infection and male circumcision practices and preferences among men who have sex with men in China

Saturday, 7th of November 2015

Risk factors for HIV/syphilis infection and male circumcision practices and preferences among men who have sex with men in China

Zeng Y¹, Zhang L¹, Li T¹, Lai W¹, Jia Y², Aliyu MH², Do M³, Wang X⁴, Han D⁵, Huang W¹, Du S⁶, Xu J⁷, Zhou J¹, Liang S¹, Yu F⁴, Zhang Y⁸.

¹Sichuan Provincial Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu 610041, China.
²Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37027, USA.
³School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
⁴Chengdu Gay Community Care Organization, Chengdu 610021, China.
⁵Chengdu Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu 610041, China.
⁶Sichuan Construction Workers Hospital, Chengdu 610081, China.
⁷National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.
⁸Medical School, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.

Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:498987. doi: 10.1155/2014/498987. Epub 2014 Mar 30.

Abstract below; full text is at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2014/498987/

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate factors associated with HIV infection and the frequency and willingness of male circumcision among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chengdu city, China.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional survey provided information on participants demographics, risk behaviors, circumcision, and uptake of HIV prevention services.

RESULTS:

Of 570 participants, 13.3% were infected with HIV and 15.9% with syphilis. An estimated 43.0% of respondents reported having unprotected receptive anal intercourse, and 58.9% reported having ≥2 male sexual partners in the past 6 months. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that syphilis, more male sex partners, predominantly receptive anal intercourse, and exclusively receptive male sex were associated with HIV infection. Higher level of education and peer education service were inversely associated with HIV infection. Nearly a fifth (18.0%) of participants were circumcised. More than half of uncircumcised participants expressed willingness to be circumcised.

CONCLUSION:

This study reveals a high prevalence of HIV and syphilis among MSM in Chengdu province of China. The frequency of unprotected receptive anal intercourse and multiple male sexual partnerships highlight the urgency for an effective comprehensive HIV prevention strategy. Although the willingness to accept male circumcision (MC) is high, further research is needed to assess the protective effective of MC among MSM.

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