Predictors of rush popper use among 825 men who have sex with men in education in Guangdong Province

Abstract

Objective: To explore prevalence and predictors of the use of Rush poppers among men who have sex with men in education in Guangdong Province. Methods: An internet survey was conducted via a gay website from March to August 2014 and a sample of 833 male respondents over 16 years who had ever had anal sex with a male, studied in Guangdong Province and who had completed an online questionnaire was identified- of which 93.4% (n=825) provided valid responses and were included in the study. Respondents provided information on their socio-demographic characteristics, HIV testing history, sexual activity in last 3 months, Rush poppers use and time since first sexual encounter with a male. We used the Chi-squared test and multivariate logistic regression modeling to identify the predictors of Rush poppers use in this population group. Results: Among our sample of 825 MSM, whose ages ranged from 21-27 years, 14.8% (n=122) reported having used Rush poppers in the past 3 months. Rates of use were higher among those who had ever been tested for HIV (16.7% vs. 10.9%, χ2=4.80, P=0.028), had anal intercourse in the last 3 months (16.8% vs. 10.7%, χ2=5.48, P=0.019), had multiple sexual partners in the past 3 months (19.3% vs. 13.1%, χ2=5.14, P=0.023), had a casual partner (18.0% vs. 12.1%, χ2=5.68, P= 0.017) or had a sexually transmitted infection (23.4% vs. 14.0%, χ2=4.85, P=0.028). Those who reported having had their first sexual encounter with another male over 5 years prior had higher rates of use (18.0%) than for those who had been sexually active ≤1 year (10.7%) or 2-4 years (12.5%, χ2=6.41, P=0.041). HIV testing (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.07-2.70), having a casual partner (OR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.12-2.50) and being sexually active with other males for over 5 years (OR: 1.87, 95%CI: 1.05-3.31) were significantly associated with Rush poppers use. Conclusion: A large proportion of student MSM in Guangdong Province used Rush poppers. Proxy measures of sexual activity such as HIV testing, recent casual sexual encounters and duration of sexual activity were associated with their use.