Associations Between Methods of Meeting Sexual Partners and Sexual Practices Among Heterosexuals: Cross-sectional Study in Melbourne, Australia.

Heidi Constantinou,Tiffany R Phillips,Kate Maddaford,Eric P F Chow,Catriona S Bradshaw,Edmond P H Choi,Christopher K Fairley,Jane S Hocking

doi:10.2196/26202

Heidi Constantinou, Tiffany R Phillips + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.2196/26202

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Abstract

BackgroundThe association between meeting partners on the web and sexual practices has been understudied in heterosexuals.ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the associations between the methods of meeting partners and sexual practices and HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in heterosexuals.MethodsWe conducted a survey among heterosexuals attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre in 2019. This survey asked about the methods through which the participants engaged in meeting their sexual partners, sexual practices, and intravenous drug use (IVDU) over the past 3 months. The participants’ HIV and STI (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis) status was obtained from clinical testing. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between each method of meeting and the participants’ sexual practices, IVDU, and STI status.ResultsA total of 698 participants (325 men and 373 women) were included in the study. Most of the participants reported using only one method to meet partners (222/325, 68.3% men; 245/373, 65.7% women; P=.05). The men met partners most commonly at social venues (eg, bar, pub, or party; 126/325, 38.8%), whereas the women met partners most commonly through friends or family (178/373, 47.7%). Paying for sex was associated with men meeting partners at sex venues (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 145.34, 95% CI 26.13-808.51) and on the internet (AOR 10.00, 95% CI 3.61-27.55). There was no association between IVDU and methods of meeting. Social venues were associated with condomless vaginal sex among men (AOR 3.31, 95% CI 1.94-5.71) and women (AOR 2.58, 95% CI 1.61-4.13) and testing positive for STI among men (AOR 3.04, 95% CI 1.24-7.48) and women (AOR 3.75, 95% CI 1.58-8.89).ConclusionsHeterosexuals who met partners at social venues had a more than threefold risk of testing positive for STIs, indicating that heterosexuals may benefit from health promotion campaigns that are delivered through a public setting.

Highlights

BackgroundThere has been an increase in the number of web-based platforms available for individuals to meet sexual partners since the first internet dating site, Match.com, was introduced in 1995
Given that the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexual practices varies in different sexual orientations and that new web-based networking platforms have continued to surface throughout the mid-2010s to late 2010s [1], it is unclear from these studies whether the same associations of the internet and apps with condom use and STIs can be drawn for heterosexuals in the late 2010s
Following the completion of the computer-assisted self-interview (CASI), heterosexual clients aged 16 years or older were invited to participate in a voluntary survey on the CASI named Australian Surveys of Sexual Activities and Practices (ASAP), which collected additional questions on sexual practice that were not collected as part of the routine CASI questions

Summary

Introduction

BackgroundThere has been an increase in the number of web-based platforms available for individuals to meet sexual partners since the first internet dating site, Match.com, was introduced in 1995. The association between web-based meeting methods and sexual risk remains inconclusive. Most of these studies did not stratify by sexual orientation [7,8,10,11]. Given that the risk of STIs and sexual practices varies in different sexual orientations and that new web-based networking platforms have continued to surface throughout the mid-2010s to late 2010s [1], it is unclear from these studies whether the same associations of the internet and apps with condom use and STIs can be drawn for heterosexuals in the late 2010s. Objective: This study aims to examine the associations between the methods of meeting partners and sexual practices and HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in heterosexuals. Conclusions: Heterosexuals who met partners at social venues had a more than threefold risk of testing positive for STIs, indicating that heterosexuals may benefit from health promotion campaigns that are delivered through a public setting

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