Epidemiology and Population Health

Why is this study important? ¥ Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) account for about half of new HIV infections in Canada. ¥ Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an emerging biomedical HIV prevention tool for GBM and is approved for use in Canada, but does not currently receive public funding outside […]

What is the importance of this study? ¥ Recent global reviews of HIV research literature have demonstrated continued disparities in the sexual health and wellbeing of gay and bisexual men (GBM) as compared with other men and women. ¥ One prominent factor associated with increased HIV risk is an individual’s number of sexual partners. ¥

What are the key study findings? ¥ 51.9% of GBM living with HIV and 48.5% HIV-negative GBM had heard of nPEP. ¥ 3% of HIV-negative GBM who reported recent high-risk sex had used nPEP. ¥ Among HIV-negative GBM, nPEP awareness was higher among participants who were students, Caucasian, had used alcohol recently, had more sex

What is the importance of this study? ¥ In Vancouver, one in five gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM) live with HIV, with increasing prevalence by increasing age. ¥ There is a gap in knowledge and understanding of the sexual health implications of intergenerational relationships, which are relationships with a

What is the importance of this study? ¥ While there is an estimate of the number of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM) in Vancouver, it is difficult to get a diverse and representative sample. ¥ Previous researchers have found certain sub-populations may be underrepresented in research data. Citation: Lachowsky

What is the importance of this study? ¥ There has generally been increased use of the internet and social networking tools, which may influence social behaviours. ¥ Gay and bisexual men’s community involvement has changed over time: internet apps and websites are increasingly used to seek new partners. ¥ An individual’s social network can influence

What does this study demonstrate? ¥ Underreported operational challenges of implementing respondent-driven sampling (RDS). ¥ Factors associated with productive recruiting in an urban RDS-generated sample of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in order to help other RDS researchers. ¥ The importance of social network size in RDS adjustment to

What is the importance of this study? ¥ Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) are at a disproportionately higher risk of HIV infection. ¥ Seroadaptive strategies take into consideration the known or assumed HIV status of individuals and their partners to avoid transmission. ¥ Understanding the patterns of seroadaptive behaviours

What is the importance of this study? ¥ Initial participants (‘seeds’) are critical to respondent-driven sampling (RDS) as they lead to more participants joining the study. Yet, there is little information available on how seeds that were recruited through online strategies may effect RDS implementation. ¥ We compared online-recruited seeds with offline-recruited seeds, as well

What is the importance of this study? ¥ Across Canada, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM) accounted for over half of the new cases of HIV in 2014. ¥ New medical innovations may unintentionally lead to less condom use. ¥ There are gaps in knowledge of how condom use may