P023 Internet exposure on sexual partners and sexual risk behavior among sexually experienced college males: evidence from a population-based study

Abstract

<h3>Background</h3> As a young subgroup, college students have become the main participants of mobile social networks. Considering the increase of HIV infections in male college students, it is important to explore the status of using the internet to meet sexual partners among these young students and examine the correlates of this use with risky sexual behaviors. <h3>Methods</h3> A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted among male students from 44 colleges located in Hangzhou. A total of 1045 sexually experienced male students were incorporated in our analysis. Sequential logistic regression models were employed to determine the independent influence of meeting sexual partners via the internet on sexual risk behavior after controlling for factors associated with risk sexual behaviors. <h3>Results</h3> Anonymous social software (e.g., Momo, Tantan, Blued and Aloha) were the most common sites (87.6%) for males to seek sexual partners online. The risk sexual behavior was heterogeneous among the aims for finding partners online and the risk was the highest for males who meet partner for sex (75.52%-85.36%). Compared to non-internet partners’ seeker, internet partners’ seekers tend to have more casual (53.87% vs 10.14%), paid (5.9% vs 2.39%) and homosexual sex (64.39% vs 8.15%), use psychoactive drugs (35.82% vs 12.2%) and more partners. With the increase of HIV/STD knowledge, the probability of having unprotected sex was increasing for internet partner seekers. Meeting sexual partner on internet was statistically associated with unprotected sex (OR=0.255, P&lt;0.05). <h3>Conclusions</h3> Meeting sexual partners via the internet were common among male colleague students, and those meeting partners online exhibited higher levels of risk sexual behaviors although they had enough HIV/STD knowledge, especially students with the aim of finding partners for sex. Thus, more attention should be paid to those general young adults to address the risky sexual behaviors that may contribute to increase HIV spread among this population.