Sexual Characteristics Of HIV-positive Men Who Known Or Unknown Their HIV Status Among Men Who Have Sex With Men

[BACKGROUND]Men who have sex with men (MSM) have emerged as a high risk group and prevalence of HIV-1 have been increasing lately in China.[OBJECTIVE]1 To investigate sexual characteristic differences between HIV-positive men who know their HIV status and HIV-positive men who are unaware of their HIV status among men who have sex with men2 To describe sexual characteristics and support environment of HIV-positive men who known their HIV status[METHOD]Cross-sectional investigation was conducted among MSM. Participants in this cross-sectional study were divided into three groups:"Known group", HIV-positive men with known HIV status and "Unknown group", HIV-positive men with unknown HIV status and HIV-negative men group. Questionnaire-based interviews were conducted to provide information on demographic characteristics and sexual behaviors. To analyze sexual characteristic differences between HIV-positive men who know their HIV status and HIV-positive men who are unaware of their HIV status among men who have sex with men and to describe sexual characteristics and support environment of HIV-positive men who known their HIV status which were divided into two groups:"Time of known their status 0.5-1.5 years group" and "Time of known their status more than 1.5 years group". [RUSULTS]Of 122 HIV-positive men who known their HIV status, about 50% sought sexual partners on line. About 40% percentage of known group had risk anal intercourse, more than 70% had risk oral intercourse.40% of known group concealed their HIV status to sex partners. Of 198 individuals from known group (122 individuals) and unknown group (76 individuals), known group had significantly higher education and fewer partners than unknown group (P=0.017 and P<0.001). The known group had fewer casual partners (48.8% vs.65.3%,P=0.036) than the unknown group among individuals who had sex partners in the last 6 months. The known group was more likely to engage in insertive and receptive anal intercourse than the unknown group. The known group was more likely to use condoms than the unknown group regardless anal sex or oral sex with men.Percentage of receptive anal intercourse of more than 1.5 years group was lower than 0.5-1.5 years group (78.3% vs.95.7%). Percentage of insertive anal intercourse of more than 1.5 years group who never use condom and everytime use condom was higher than 0.5-1.5 years group (p=0.023). Percentage of receptive anal intercourse of more than 1.5 years group who never use condom was higher than 0.5-1.5 years group (p=0.039).[CONCLUSION]HIV-positive men who know their HIV status are more likely to practice safer sex than HIV-positive men who are unaware of their HIV status; however, high percentage of sexual risk behavior still exists among them. It is important to strengthen behavioral interventions among HIV-positive MSM.