Hospers HJ, Janssen M, Debets W, Kok GJ; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1996 Jul 7-12; 11: 143 (abstract no. We.C.3487).
Department of Health Education, University of Limburg, Maastricht, Netherlands. E-mail: hospers@gvo.rulimburg.nl.
Objective: To determine the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS education by volunteers at cruising areas (CAs) for gay and bisexual men. Methods: Eight Municipal Health Departments in the Netherlands participated in this study. During the summer of 1995 volunteers who were trained in educating men at CAs about HIV and AIDS, using a nationally implemented training protocol, visited the CAs in their region. During October 1995 volunteers returned to the CAs to distribute posttest questionnaires which assessed demographics, sexual risk perceptions and risk behaviors at CAs, intention to use condoms at CAs, sexual preference, gay network affiliation, exposure to HIV-prevention activities, and whether respondents had spoken with a volunteer on CAs during the summer of 1995. Of 650 distributed questionnaires 395 were returned (60.7%). Results: About half of the respondents (47.7%) had spoken with a volunteer. There were no differences in demographics between men who had spoken with a volunteer and men who had not. The main analysis investigated two factors: contact with volunteer (yes vs no) and sexual preference (gay vs bisexual). Men who had contact with a volunteer, compared to those who had not, reported significantly more condom use with receptive anal intercourse at CAs [M 4.9 vs 4.7, range 1 (never) to 5 (always), p is less than .05] and insertive anal intercourse at CAs [M 4.8 vs 4.4, p is less than .05]. Bisexual men (17.8% of respondents) reported significantly less condom use with insertive anal intercourse at CAs than gay men [M 4.2 vs 4.7, p is less than .05] and had lower intentions to use condoms with anal sex at CAs [M 4.7 vs 4.9, range 1 (low) to 5 (high), p is less than .05]. Secondary analyses show that bisexual men reported significantly less contact with gay media, had fewer gay friends, and were less exposed to HIV/AIDS prevention activities (all p's less than .001). Conclusions: The results show that HIV prevention activities at cruising areas for gay and bisexual men can be effective and that bisexual men might be a distinct target group that require special attention.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Bisexuality
- Condoms
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
- Homosexuality
- Homosexuality, Male
- Humans
- Male
- Netherlands
- Questionnaires
- Risk-Taking
- Sexual Behavior
- methods
- prevention & control
Other ID:
UI: 102219729
From Meeting Abstracts