Objective: To investigate the knowledge of hepatitis C prevention and treatment and related factors among two groups of female sex workers (FSW) and men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Xizang Autonomous Region (Xizang) to provide a basis for the subsequent development of Hepatitis C publicity and education strategies. Methods: From August to September 2021, a special survey was conducted among 1 244 FSW and 234 MSM in 5 districts (counties) of 4 regions in Xizang. A one-on-one face-to-face questionnaire survey was adopted, and the χ² test and logistic regression were used to analyze the related factors of awareness of hepatitis C prevention and treatment among FSW and MSM. Results: The awareness rates of hepatitis C prevention and treatment knowledge among FSW and MSM were 35.0% (436/1 244) and 11.1% (26/234), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the positive related factors of FSW' awareness of hepatitis C prevention and treatment knowledge among those who had high school or technical secondary school education (aOR=4.72, 95%CI: 3.30-6.74) and college education or above (aOR=2.24, 95%CI: 1.58-3.18), those who experienced self-perceived risk of HCV infection (aOR=1.87, 95%CI: 1.43-2.45), negative related factors included married or cohabiting (aOR=0.58, 95%CI: 0.35-0.95), divorce or windowless (aOR=0.44, 95%CI: 0.27-0.72), no condom was used in the most recent commercial sexual activity (aOR=0.54, 95%CI: 0.43-0.69). The positive related factors of MSM's awareness of hepatitis C prevention and treatment knowledge were over 40 years old (aOR=8.65, 95%CI: 3.19-23.42) and having a self-perceived risk of HCV infection (aOR=6.25, 95%CI: 2.50-15.61). Conclusions: The awareness rate of hepatitis C prevention and treatment among FSW and MSM was relatively low in Xizang in 2021 and urgently needs to be improved. It is necessary to formulate targeted publicity strategies based on the characteristics of these two groups of people, increase publicity efforts, and expand the coverage of knowledge publicity to popularize key points about the clinical manifestations, treatment options, and transmission routes of hepatitis C, and carry out necessary warnings and education.
Humans ; Male ; Hepatitis C/therapy* ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sex Workers/psychology* ; Homosexuality, Male ; Female ; Adult ; China ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; Logistic Models

INTRODUCTION: Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been available in Singapore since 2016, its uptake among gay, bisexual and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (GBMSM) is low. The iPARTY study was established to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of PrEP and a PrEP teleconsultation service for young GBMSM aged 18 to 29 years. METHOD: A total of 53 young GBMSM were enrolled in the iPARTY study. They had a total of 5 in-person consultations and teleconsultations, at 12-week intervals. Laboratory tests and quarterly baseline surveys were performed to assess PrEP adherence, sexual behaviour, and incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). RESULTS: Thirty-five participants completed the entire 12-month follow-up. Most participants had positive experiences with PrEP teleconsultations. There was a statistically significant fall in participants' aggregate Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores throughout the study. Self-reported PrEP adherence decreased over the course of the study, denoting improved mental health. Although self-reported condom use for anal intercourse and participants' risk perception of HIV decreased after PrEP adoption, there was no statisti-cally significant increase in STI incidence. CONCLUSION This pilot project has shown that PrEP services provide an opportunity for YMSM to access sexual health testing, treatment and counselling, and may even have tangible benefits on the mental health of this population. Teleconsultation is shown to be a suitable platform for the delivery of such services. Collaborative initiatives are crucial to further enhance the affordability and accessibility of PrEP in Singapore, and to improve patient adherence.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Anti-HIV Agents/administration & dosage* ; Feasibility Studies ; Health Risk Behaviors ; HIV Infections/psychology* ; Incidence ; Medication Adherence ; Mental Health/statistics & numerical data* ; Pilot Projects ; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis/statistics & numerical data* ; Sexual and Gender Minorities/statistics & numerical data* ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases/prevention & control* ; Singapore/epidemiology* ; Telemedicine/statistics & numerical data* ; Homosexuality, Male/statistics & numerical data*

BACKGROUND: Men who have sex with men (MSM) have become a high risk population of HIV infection due to their risky sexual behaviors. The latent pattern of psychosocial characteristics plays an important effect in HIV-related risky behaviors among HIV-negative MSM. METHOD: Participants were recruited from Wuhan, Nanchang, and Changsha city from September 2017 to January 2018. Social support was assessed by the multidimensional scale of social support, Connor-Davidson Resilience scale-10 items for reliance, the assessment of Stigma towards Homosexuality for sexual minority stigma, the Likert subscale of nondisclosure for identity concealment, the ACE questionnaire-Kaiser-CDC for adverse childhood experience, the Centers for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for depression. Latent profile analysis (LPA) and multivariate regression were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Three psychosocial characteristic patterns were revealed by the LPA. "Social support and resilience group" (SR group), "Identity concealment group" (IC group) and "Adverse childhood experience" (ACE group) were identified, respectively. In comparison with "SR group", "IC group" have a higher likelihood of one-night male partners (AOR = 2.74, 95%CI = [1.54, 4.90]), both fixed and one-night male partners (AOR = 2.01, 95%CI = [1.34, 3.01]) and HIV-unsure male partner (AOR = 2.12, 95%CI = [1.44, 3.13]). Similarly, "ACE group" were more likely having inconsistent condom use (AOR = 2.58, 95%CI = [1.41, 4.73]), and having sex with HIV-positive male partner (AOR = 4.90, 95%CI = [1.95, 12.30]) with comparison of "SR group". In addition, we further revealed that "ACE group" had a higher ratio (90.0%) of inconsistent condom use among MSM whose male partners were HIV-positive. CONCLUSIONS Six important psychosocial factors were divided into three latent pattern classes. Compared with "SR group", "IC group" and "ACE group" were more likely to engage in HIV-related risky sexual behaviors. Further research may pay more attention to "IC group" and "ACE group" for targeted intervention.
Humans ; Male ; HIV Infections/epidemiology* ; Homosexuality, Male/psychology* ; Risk Factors ; Sexual and Gender Minorities/psychology* ; Sexual Behavior/psychology*

HIV testing is the first step in HIV prevention and control, the rate of HIV infection is high and the rate of HIV testing is low among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. HIV self-testing provides MSM with a new choice and plays a vital role in expanding the coverage of HIV testing in this population. This paper reviews HIV self-testing and associated factors among MSM in China and provides a reference for promoting HIV self-testing in this population.
Male ; Humans ; HIV Infections/epidemiology* ; Homosexuality, Male ; Self-Testing ; Sexual and Gender Minorities ; HIV Testing ; China/epidemiology*

Objective: To understand the compliancy to on-demand HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and related factors in men who have sex with men (MSM) accessing to PrEP service through an Internet platform. Methods: A cross-sectional study method was used to recruit survey respondents through the Heer Health platform from July 6 to August 30, 2022, and a questionnaire survey on the current status of medication use was conducted in MSM who use PrEP through the platform and take medication on demand. The MSM's information collected in the survey mainly included socio-demographic characteristics, behavioral characteristics, risk perception characteristics, PrEP awareness and the status of dose taking. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate factors related with compliancy to PrEP. Results: A total of 330 MSM who met the recruitment criteria were included during the survey period, with a valid response rate of 96.7% (319/330) to the questionnaire survey. The age of the 319 MSM was (32.5±7.3) years. Most of them had education level of junior college or college and above (94.7%, 302/319), most of them were unmarried (90.3%, 288/319), most of them had full-time works (95.9%, 306/319), and 40.8% of them had average monthly income ≥10 000 yuan (130/319). The proportion of the MSM with good compliancy to PrEP was 86.5% (276/319). The results of univariate and multivariate logistic analyses showed that the MSM with good awareness of PrEP had relatively better compliancy to PrEP compared with those with poor awareness of PrEP (aOR=2.43, 95%CI:1.11-5.32). Conclusions: The compliancy to on-demand PrEP was good in MSM who accessed to the services through Internet platform, but there is still a need to strengthen PrEP promotion in MSM for the further improvement of PrEP compliancy and reduction of the risk for HIV infection in this population.
Male ; Humans ; Adult ; HIV Infections ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Homosexuality, Male ; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis ; Sexual and Gender Minorities ; Internet

Objective: To understand HIV self-testing and related factors in men who have sex with men (MSM) in Shijiazhuang. Methods: From August to September 2020, convenient sampling was used to recruit MSM in Shijiazhuang. Online questionnaires were used to collect information about their demographic characteristics, sexual behaviors and HIV self-testing. logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors associated with HIV self-testing. Results: In the 304 MSM respondents, 52.3% (159/304) had HIV self-testing in the past 6 months, and 95.0% (151/159) used fingertip blood HIV detection reagent. Self-purchase was the main way to obtain HIV testing reagents (45.9%, 73/159), followed by supply from MSM social organization (44.7%, 71/159). The reasons for having HIV self-testing were non-specific testing time (67.9%, 108/159) and privacy protection (62.9%,100/159), the reasons for having no HIV self-testing included inability of using (32.4%, 47/145), being unaware of HIV self-testing reagent (24.1%, 35/145), and worry about inaccurate self-testing results (19.3%, 28/145). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that being 18-29 years old (aOR=2.68, 95%CI: 1.20-5.94), obtaining free HIV self-testing kits in recent 6 months (aOR=8.61, 95%CI: 4.09-18.11) and making friends through Internet and social software (aOR=2.68, 95%CI: 1.48-4.88) were positive factors for having HIV self-testing. Conclusion: HIV self-testing is a more flexible and convenient way to detect HIV in MSM, and the promotion of HIV self-testing in MSM should be strengthened to further increase the HIV detection rate in this population.
Male ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Homosexuality, Male ; Self-Testing ; Sexual and Gender Minorities ; HIV Testing ; Sexual Behavior

Objective: To understand and analyze the incidence of club drug abuse and influencing factors in men who have sex with men (MSM) in Qingdao, and provide reference for the AIDS prevention and intervention in this population. Methods: From March 2017 to July 31, 2022, MSM who did not abuse club drug were recruited by snowball sampling of MSM social organizations in Qingdao, a prospective cohort was established, and a follow-up survey was conducted every 6 months. The survey collected the information about the MSM's demographic characteristics, sexual characteristics, club drug abuse and others. The incidence of club drug abuse was the outcome dependent variable and the interval between the recruitment into the cohort and the incidence of club drug abuse was the time dependent variable. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the influencing factors for club drug abuse. Results: A total of 509 MSM were recruited at baseline survey, and 369 eligible MSM were enrolled in this cohort. A total of 62 MSM began to abuse club drug during the study period, and the cumulative follow-up time was 911.54 person-years, the incidence of club drug abuse was 6.80/100 person-years. All the club drug abusers shared drugs with others in the first club drug abuse, and 16.13% (10/62) had mix-use of club drugs. The multivariate Cox proportional risk regression analysis showed that being students (aHR=2.17, 95%CI: 1.15-4.10), receiving no HIV testing or receiving 1 HIV testing during past 6 months (aHR=4.57, 95%CI:1.80-11.60; aHR=5.15, 95%CI: 2.83-9.36), having sex only with regular sexual partners during past 6 months (aHR=4.75,95%CI:2.32-9.75), having more than 4 homosexual partners (aHR=1.70, 95%CI:1.01-2.87) and abuse of club drug of sexual partners during past 6 months (aHR=12.78, 95%CI:3.06-53.35) were significantly associated with club drug abuse in the MSM. Conclusions: The incidence of club drug abuse was at a high level in the MSM cohort in Qingdao, indicating a high risk for HIV infection. Being student, receiving less HIV testing, having sex only with regular sexual partners, having more homosexual partners and abuse of club drug of sexual partners during past 6 months were risk factors for the incidence of club drug abuse in the MSM. Targeted surveillance and intervention measures should be strengthened to reduce the risk of club drug abuse in MSM.
Male ; Humans ; Homosexuality, Male ; Cohort Studies ; Illicit Drugs ; Incidence ; HIV Infections ; Prospective Studies ; Sexual and Gender Minorities ; Substance-Related Disorders

Objective: To understand the cognition and medication use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China and its associated factors. Method: From August 25 to September 5, 2021, 2 447 MSM were recruited in 24 cities to complete the online questionnaire through a male social interaction platform, Blued 7.5 software. The survey contents included demographic information of the respondents, PrEP awareness and usage, and risk behaviors. Descriptive analysis and multi-level logistic regression were performed for data analysis. SPSS 24.0 and SAS 9.4 software were used for statistical analysis. Results: Among the 2 447 respondents of MSM, 1 712 (69.96%) had heard of PrEP, 437 (17.86%) ever used PrEP, 274 (11.20%) were on PrEP, and 163 (6.66%) had discontinued PrEP; among the 437 cases (whoever used PrEP), more than 61.88% (388/627) adopted emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate regimen, and most of them adopted on-demand regimen. The average PrEP dosage reported in the past year is 1.12 tabletsper person per week. PrEP purchase was primarily via an online channel, and the most concerned factor was the PrEP effectiveness on HIV prevention. The most common reasons for discontinuing PrEP, reported by 163 cases, were the lack of HIV risk perception, the use of a condom to prevent HIV, and the economic burden of PrEP use. The logistic regression analysis showed that PrEP use among MSM in 24 cities was statistically associated with age, monthly income, ever having unprotected anal sex in the past year, used sexual drugs and sexually transmitted disease (STD) diagnosis in the past year. Compared with MSM aged 18-24, the proportion of MSM was relatively lower among those aged 25-44, who discontinued the PrEP (aOR=0.54,95%CI:0.34-0.87) or never used PrEP (aOR=0.62,95%CI:0.44-0.87). The proportion of unprotected anal sex among MSM currently on PrEP use was higher than those who have stopped PrEP and never used PrEP (all P<0.05). Those MSM group, with monthly income higher than 5 000 Yuan, used sexual drugs and STD diagnosis in the past year were more likely to have a higher rate for PrEP usage (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Currently, pre-exposure prophylaxis in the MSM group is primarily obtained via the online channel and adopted in an on-demand mode. Although the PrEP users have reached a certain proportion, it is still necessary to strengthen health education on the PrEP effects and side effects of MSM and to improve the awareness and use rate, especially for young MSM group, which can be combined with the advantages of the internet targeting its needs and use barriers.
Humans ; Male ; Homosexuality, Male ; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis ; Cities ; Sexual and Gender Minorities ; Sexual Behavior ; China ; HIV Infections/prevention & control*

In recent years, HIV infection prevalence in MSM has been in increase in China. HIV testing is the only way to identify HIV-infection, effectively curb the spread of HIV and reduce AIDS-related death risks. At present, the situation of HIV testing in MSM is not satisfactory, and expanding HIV testing is the one of the key measures for AIDS prevention and control in this population. This paper summarizes the role and strategies of expanding HIV testing in MSM in order to provide a reference for the improvement of HIV testing in this population.
Male ; Humans ; HIV Infections/epidemiology* ; Homosexuality, Male ; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Risk-Taking ; Sexual and Gender Minorities ; HIV Testing ; China/epidemiology*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the discrepancy between behavioral-indicated candidacy and perceived candidacy (behavioral-perceived gap) and its associated factors of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM), so as to identify the focus population of PrEP interventions and to design and implement targeted interventions. METHODS: We recruited a sample of 622 HIV-negative MSM who were regular clients of a community-based organization located in Chengdu, China, from November to December 2021. A cross-sectional questionnaire was used to collect the participants' information on social demographics, PrEP-related knowledge and cognitions, and risk behaviors. In this study, behaviorally eligible for PrEP was defined as performing at least one type of high-risk behavior in the past six months, including inconsistent condom use, sex with an HIV-positive partner, confirmed sexual transmitted infections (STI) diagnosis, substance use, and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) experience. Logistic regression models were fitted, and multivariate analyses were adjusted for social demographics. RESULTS: Among the 622 eligible participants, 52.6% (327/622) were classified as behaviorally eligible for PrEP. Only 37.9% (124/327) of the participants perceived themselves as appropriate candidates for PrEP and 62.1% (203/207) had discrepancy between behavioral-indicated and perceived candidacy. 85.9% (281/327) had heard of PrEP, and 14.2% (40/281) accessed PrEP information through health care providers. Of the 327 participants eligible for behavior-indicated PrEP use, about half (47.1%) knew how to obtain PrEP medication and 33.0% had a professional PrEP counseling experience. The majority (93.3%) had no or few friends using PrEP. 54.1% scored eight or above in PrEP knowledge level. 66.7% reported having two or more sexual partners in the past six months. After adjusting for age and recruitment channel, we found six factors that were associated with perceived candidacy for PrEP, including PEP use [adjusted odds ratio (OR_A)=2.20; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33-3.63], PrEP availability (OR_A=1.69; 95%CI: 1.06-2.68), a greater number of PrEP-using friends (OR_A=4.92; 95%CI: 1.77-13.65), PrEP know-ledge (OR_A=2.21; 95%CI: 1.38-3.56), multiple sexual partnership (OR_A=1.77; 95%CI: 1.07-2.94), and perceiving a higher risk of HIV infection (OR_A=4.02; 95%CI: 1.73-9.32). Substance use during sex and PrEP information channel were not statistically associated with this beha-vioral-perceived gap. CONCLUSION We observed a high discrepancy between behavioral-indicated and perceived candidacy for PrEP among Chengdu MSM in China. Future PrEP implementation efforts should be made in skills training in assessing HIV infection risk, increasing PrEP knowledge, providing professional PrEP counselling, and fostering PrEP support environment.
Male ; Humans ; Homosexuality, Male/psychology* ; HIV Infections/psychology* ; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis ; HIV ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Sexual and Gender Minorities