Amsterdam 2015
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| Abstract #3448 - Drugs and HIV | ||||
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Session: 34.6: Drugs and HIV (Symposium) on Thursday @ 14.30-16.00 in C103 Chaired by Marianne van der Sande, Don Desjarlais Authors: Presenting Author: Dr Kai Jonas - University of Amsterdam , Netherlands |
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| Additional Authors: | ||||
| Aim: PrEP is becoming more widely available, yet data on the psychological and behavioral correlates of PrEP use, for example drug use or sexual risk behaviors, are still scarce. Using a syndemics approach, we tested the differences between PrEP users and non-users among predominantly Thai MSM in a circuit party context during Songkran festival in April 2015. | ||||
| Method / Issue: An online survey was conducted among 810 MSM residing in Southeast Asia (predominantly Thai) via MSM social media app and circuit party mailing lists. The survey contained a number of intention and attitude measures on drug use, sexual behaviors, health maintenance, and demographic characteristics. | ||||
| Results / Comments: PrEP users, as compared to non-users, had more sex partners in the past 30 days, more anal sex episodes, higher intentions to have sex with unknown partners and more likely to attend sex venues (all Fs > 4.59 < 16.01, ps > .0001 < .032). Moreover, PrEP users planned to take more crystal meth (OR: 3.61, 95% CI: 1.49-8.72) and more cocaine (OR: 3.56, 95% CI: 1.14-11.12) than non-users during the various circuit party events. Condomless anal sex intentions were also more pronounced among PrEP users, and also seen as less risky by PrEP users (all Fs > 3.87 < 11.5, ps > .001 < .05). | ||||
| Discussion: Our results show that PrEP use is concentrated in the right MSM population (e.g., high risk MSM). Overall, they were more sexually active and showed more risk behavior intentions in the circuit party contexts. However, these findings suggest that PrEP users may still play a central role in the spread of STI and viral Hepatitis since they have lower intentions to use condoms during anal sex and self-evaluating those practices as relatively safer. Harm-reduction programs should promote condom use and regular STI/Hepatitis testing for PrEP-using MSM. | ||||
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