Research article
Serosorting Sexual Partners and Risk for HIV Among Men Who Have Sex with Men

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.08.004Get rights and content

Objective

The purpose of the current study was to assess whether men who have sex with men (MSM) who limit their unprotected anal sexual partners to those who are of the same HIV status (serosort) differ in their risk for HIV transmission than MSM who do not serosort.

Methods

Cross-sectional surveys administered at a large Gay Pride festival in June 2006 (80% response rate) were collected from MSM. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify predictors of serosorting. Analyses were conducted in 2006.

Results

Participants were self-identified as HIV-negative MSM (N=628); about one third of them engaged in serosorting (n=229). Men who serosort were more likely to believe that it offered protection against HIV transmission, perceived themselves as being at no relatively higher risk for HIV transmission, and had more unprotected anal intercourse partners. Over half the sample reported their frequency of HIV testing as yearly or less frequently; this finding did not differ between serosorters and nonserosorters.

Conclusions

Men who identify as HIV-negative and serosort are no more likely to know their HIV status than men who do not serosort and are at higher risk for exposure to HIV. Interventions targeting MSM must address the limitations of serosorting.

Section snippets

Participants and Setting

Surveys were collected using common venue intercept procedures.22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Potential participants were asked to complete a survey concerning same-sex relationships as they walked through the exhibit area of a large gay community festival. Participants were told that the survey was about same-sex relationships, contained personal questions about their behavior, was anonymous, and would take 15 minutes to complete. Participants’ names were not obtained at any time. Participants were

Univariate Analyses

Comparisons between men who did and did not serosort showed that age and education between the groups was nonsignificant. In terms of ethnicity, participants who reported serosorting were more likely to be white. Income levels among participants were not significantly different, and most participants were currently working. Participants who serosort were more likely to report being in an exclusive relationship with one person and less likely to report not having sexual relations. A majority of

Discussion

Of considerable importance to this study is HIV testing history among MSM who serosort. The current findings demonstrate that roughly 88% of participants are tested for HIV every 6 months or less often (i.e., yearly or less than yearly). Given the HIV prevalence among MSM and the relative infrequency of HIV testing among a majority of serosorters who also have multiple unprotected sexual partners, it is likely that MSM often do not accurately know their HIV status. Furthermore, considerable

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