Perception of HIV transmission of main sex partners among men who have sex with men Open Access

Abstract

Accounting for 55% of new diagnoses, men who have sex with men (MSM) have been disproportionately affected by HIV for over three decades. One-to-two third of the new diagnoses are acquired from a main sex partner. With such a large proportion of transmission from main partners, there are only a few studies that focus on their role and MSM's perception of contracting HIV from their main partner. Data from a national online survey was utilized to determine the perception of HIV transmission from main sex partners among MSM. A multivariate analysis was conducted using a logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios. Of 1112 MSM, 16% (n=182) accurately identified the HIV transmission from main partners to be 32% or higher. Gender of previous partners (p-value= 0.0069) and race/identity (p-value=<0.0001) were associated with perception of main partner transmission. Men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) (aOR= 1.50, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.07) were more likely to correctly predict the HIV transmission from main partners in comparison to men who have sex with men only (MSMO). In addition, Black MSM (aOR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.96) were more likely to identify it as at least 32% than their White counterparts. Previous studies have noticed that age is associated with contracting HIV from a main partner; however, our findings demonstrate that knowledge of transmission does not differ by age group. Further investigation needs to take place to determine the reasons certain population are, or are not, aware of the risk of main partner transmission and to develop prevention methods to reduce the infection rate from main partners within the MSM population.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1 Method 2 Result 4 Discussion 6 References 11 Table 14

1. Table 1. Demographic and behavioral characteristics of 1112 men who have sex with men (MSM) who completed an online survey on HIV prevention, United States, 2010

14

2. Table 2. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis of MSM who correctly identified main partner transmission to be at least 32%, 2010

16 Figure 17

1. Figure 1. Perceived Percentage of HIV Transmission among MSM, stratified by groups

17 Appendice 18 Appendix A. Men's Health Survey 18

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Epidemiology
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Epidemiology
Keyword	HIV Perception of HIV Main Sex Partners MSM
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Sullivan, Patrick S, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	Emory University schools, faculty or affiliated programs

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