Content area
Full Text
Objectives. We examined the prevalence of Internet use for meeting sexual partners (Internet partners) and HIV risk behaviors associated with this use among young men who have sex with men (aged 16-24 years).
Methods. A sample of 270 young men who have sex with men completed a computer-assisted survey. We used bivariate χ^sup 2^ analyses and hierarchical logistic regression to assess factors associated with Internet-facilitated sexual encounters.
Results. Using the Internet to meet sexual partners was common; 48% of our sample had sexual relations with a partner they met online. Of these, only 53% used condoms consistently, and 47% reported having sexual partners older (>4 years) than themselves. Regression analyses showed increased age. White race/ethnicity, history of unprotected anal intercourse, multiple anal intercourse partners, and engaging in sexual activity at a sex club or a bathhouse were associated with meeting sexual partners through the Internet. Only history of unprotected anal intercourse was associated with risky sexual behaviors with Internet partners (P<0.025).
Conclusions. Young men who have sex with men and who seek partners online also engage in other behaviors that place them at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
(Am J Public Health. 2007;97:1113-1117. doi:10.2105/ AJPH.2005.075630)
Adolescents and young adults are the largest segment of the US population with Internet access: an estimated 90% of youths aged 15 to 24 years have been online.1 Today's youths have integrated the Internet into many aspects of their daily life, and they use it for everything from online shopping to accessing health-related information.2 It has been suggested that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youths perceive the Internet to be a lifeline that affords them the ability to contact, communicate, and socialize with individuals who have had similar experiences but are often unavailable in the youths' dayto-day lives and communities.3
The Internet potentially holds special appeal for LGBT youths who are seeking romantic or sexual partners because its anonymity confers a sense of perceived safety against the stigma that surrounds same-sex activity.3"5 Moreover, its expansive network offers access to a larger social group than is generally available within the context of a predominantly heterosexual culture. Among adult gay men, the Internet has emerged as a popular venue for seeking sexual partners and has been associated...