Abstract
Background: The Internet has been identified as a newly emerging risk environment for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Internet, dating sites and other web based community networks are becoming popular for seeking sexual partners in Sri Lanka. Objective: To identify the behavioral pattern of MSMs who seek their sexual partners through internet. Method Four hundred Sri Lankan MSMs recruited by systematic sampling method, completed a selfadministered questionnaire online, accessed through internet chat rooms and profiles on social networks. Results: The sample was predominantly young and the mean age was 26.2 years (95%CI=25.1-26.9). They had mean number of 8.9 (SD=21.1) non regular encounters with partners who were contacted through the Internet and 12.7 (SD=2.5) regular encounters during the previous year and 67% of them had sexual intercourse with female partners. 9.1% (95%CI=3.2- 10.7) reported symptoms of STI. Conclusion: The partners on the Internet were engaged in high risk sexual encounters. The Internet provides a great opportunity to understand the current trends and enables health promotion among this hidden population. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljv.v3i1.5409 Sri Lanka Journal of Venereology Vol.3(1) 2012 pp.29-32
Highlights
The Internet, dating sites and other web based community networks widely used for seeking sexual partners. [1,2] Men who have sex with men (MSM) seek sexual partners through the Internet and the Internet has been identified as a newly emerging risk environment for HIV and transmission of other sexually transmitted infections [1,2]
Of the MSMs who identified themselves as bisexuals, 85.8% of them had sexual intercourse with female partners during last 12 months
34% of the gay oriented MSMs were passive, 46% were active in terms of anal penetration
Summary
The Internet, dating sites and other web based community networks widely used for seeking sexual partners. [1,2] Men who have sex with men (MSM) seek sexual partners through the Internet and the Internet has been identified as a newly emerging risk environment for HIV and transmission of other sexually transmitted infections [1,2].Research conducted in theAustralia, United Kingdom, United States and Netherlands among gay men has shown a positive association between seeking sex on the Internet and high-risk sexual behavior. The Internet, dating sites and other web based community networks widely used for seeking sexual partners. [1,2] Men who have sex with men (MSM) seek sexual partners through the Internet and the Internet has been identified as a newly emerging risk environment for HIV and transmission of other sexually transmitted infections [1,2]. Men who seek sex on the Internet are more likely to report high-risk sexual behavior or a history of sexually transmitted disease than men who do not seek sex in this way [5,6,7,8,9,10]. The Internet has been identified as a newly emerging risk environment for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Internet, dating sites and other web based community networks are becoming popular for seeking sexual partners in Sri Lanka
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