Momentum
The Momentum Health Study is a sexual health study of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Greater Vancouver. Momentum aims to report new estimates of HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the region. The study supported by grants from the National Institute of Health and the Canadian Institute for Health Research.
This study will be the first in BC to use Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) to obtain a representative sample of MSM reflective of the ethno-cultural diversity of Greater Vancouver and inclusive of MSM subgroups that may have been overlooked in other sampling strategies. RDS is a form of peer-recruited network sampling, where participants receive study vouchers to give to their friends so they can participate too.
Momentum consists of two linked projects and will operate over five years, from 2011 to 2016. We will conduct two surveys over five years that are designed to provide consistent and representative estimates of HIV risk behaviour, HIV sero-status, antiretroviral therapy (ART) use and viral load among MSM in Greater Vancouver. Eligible participants in the first survey will also be invited to participate in a cohort study, with follow-up every six months for four years.
STUDIES MENU
Research Summaries
Do the social and cultural conditions experienced by different generations of men who have sex with men affect their sexual behaviours and partnering?
Perceptions and use of condoms among HIV negative gay men in Vancouver, Canada, in the era of biomedical and sero-adaptive prevention
Is cannabis use related to mental health symptoms among gbMSM diagnosed with anxiety or depression?
How have attitudes towards Treatment as Prevention (TasP) among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men changed over time?
What are the patterns of alcohol consumption among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Metro Vancouver, Canada?
How does the combination of depressive symptoms and polysubstance use relate toHIV risk among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Metro Vancouver, Canada?
What are the driving factors behind gay and bisexual men’s decision to test or not test for HIV?
Is the number of sexual partners still an important measure of sexual risk among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Metro Vancouver, Canada?
Has increased HIV treatment optimism changed crystal methamphetamine use among men who have sex with men in Metro Vancouver?
Relationships among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are diverse, displaying a range of behaviours and preferences about sex and sexual pleasure that should be further explored in research.
Condomless anal sex among gbMSM with partners met online is associated with a variety of interpersonal factors to be considered in health interventions.
Cigarette smoking remains a serious public health concern and gbMSM are more likely to smoke than the general population.
HIV risk reduction strategies are evolving with important implications for HIV research to be further investigated.
Evidence from British Columbia and elsewhere has demonstrated the expansion of access to antiretroviral HIV treatment (ART) can result in population-level reductions in HIV incidence. This is the concept behind the made-in-BC Treatment as Prevention strategy, or TasP, which aims to expand early HIV testing and treatment to improve patients’ health and curb the spread […]
There are still a number of barriers to be addressed in the uptake of HIV prevention methods and technologies.
How do patterns of online and offline connectedness relate to beliefs and behaviours around HIV prevention among gay and bi men in Metro Vancouver?
Has increased optimism in the effectiveness of HIV treatment resulted in increased risky sex among men who have sex with men in Metro Vancouver?
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 […]
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. ¥ […]