This survey of sexual practices in the United States has been combed by the media for items of interest to the public: monogamous sex is much more widespread in this country than has been thought; infidelity is less frequent than presumed; vaginal intercourse is the defining experience of heterosexual behavior; watching one's partner undress is stimulating to many people; married couples have more sex than single people (unmarried, cohabiting couples have the most sex of all); the majority of couples experience sex twice a week to several times a month; 2.8% of men identify themselves as homosexual and 1.4% of women do so, but a higher percentage of people consider a same-gender experience to have some appeal; 75% of men always experience orgasm compared with 28.6% of women, but more nearly equal numbers of men and women declare themselves satisfied with their sexual experiences. The book is, in fact, a

The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States

Objective/Goal:The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of published literature on the association between problematic alcohol consumption and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).Design:Using a MEDLINE search (1995–2003) and article references, we identified articles that desc

Is there an association between alcohol consumption and sexually transmitted diseases? A systematic review.

We document the historical and cultural shifts in how gay and bisexual men have used the Internet for sexuality between the 1990s and 2013-including shifting technology as well as research methods to study gay and bisexual men online. Gay and bisexual men have rapidly taken to using the Internet for sexual purposes: for health information seeking, finding sex partners, dating, cybersex, and pornography. Men have adapted to the ever-evolving technological advances that have been made in connecting users to the Internet-from logging on via dial-up modem on a desktop computer to geo-social-sexual networking via handheld devices. In kind, researchers have adapted to the Internet to study gay and bisexual men. Studies have carefully considered the ethics, feasibility, and acceptability of using the Internet to conduct research and interventions. Much of this work has been grounded in models of disease prevention, largely as a result of the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic. The need to reduce HIV in this population has been a driving force to develop innovative research and Internet-based intervention methodologies. The Internet, and specifically mobile technology, is an environment gay and bisexual men are using for sexual purposes. These innovative technologies represent powerful resources for researchers to study and provide outreach.

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Gay and Bisexual Men's Use of the Internet: Research from the 1990s through 2013

Studies of heterosexual HIV transmission have consistently found anal intercourse to be a highly predictive risk factor for seroconversion. Yet most AIDS prevention messages targeted at heterosexuals, presumably influenced by cultural taboos against acknowledging this sexual practice, continue to emphasize vaginal and, increasingly, oral sex transmission. The health risks of anal sex appear to be severely underestimated by a substantial proportion of sexually active women and men in North and Latin America as well as parts of South Asia, Africa, and other regions. Among heterosexuals reported rates of condom use are nearly universally lower for anal than for vaginal intercourse. This review examines anal sex among the general population, including its prevalence in various world regions, related sociocultural factors, and other associated health problems including anorectal STDs, Hepatitis B infection, and HPV-related anal cancer in women. U.S. survey and other data suggest that, in terms of absolute numb...

Heterosexual anal intercourse: prevalence, cultural factors, and HIV infection and other health risks, Part I.

Current advances have added geosocial networking (GSN) mobile phone applications as an option for men who have sex with men (MSM) to meet other men. This is the first study to assess GSN application use and sex-seeking behaviors of MSM recruited using venue-based sampling. Among the 379 MSM in this study, 63.6 % reported using GSN applications to find men in the past year. Nearly one-quarter of MSM had sex with a man met using a GSN application in the prior year; these men were more likely to be under 35 years old and have had sex with a man met on the Internet; they were also less likely to be HIV-positive and have <5 male sex partners in the last year. GSN applications are a viable option for use in sampling and delivering interventions to young MSM who are often missed through other methods.

Use of geosocial networking (GSN) mobile phone applications to find men for sex by men who have sex with men (MSM) in Washington, DC.

Background
The prevalence of HIV infection and how this varies between subgroups is a fundamental indicator of epidemic control. While there has been a rise in the number of HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) in New Zealand over the last decade, the actual prevalence of HIV and the proportion undiagnosed is not known. We measured these outcomes in a community sample of MSM in Auckland, New Zealand.

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Actual and undiagnosed HIV prevalence in a community sample of men who have sex with men in Auckland, New Zealand.

Repeated behavioural surveillance should sample all epidemiologically relevant subgroups to provide a complete picture of trends in HIV risk behaviours. Web-based recruitment has been mooted but little empirical data exist on country experiences. We describe who is omitted from three rounds of a conventional offline-only surveillance programme among men who have sex with men (MSM) 2006-2011, but recruited subsequently on Internet dating sites, and the implications of this for understanding trends. The latter were younger, less gay identified and less gay community attached. Importantly, they reported different partnering patterns, lower condom use with casual and fuckbuddy-type male partners, and lower rates of HIV testing, compared to MSM routinely captured in offline surveillance. The replacement of offline socio-sexual activity by the Internet among many MSM means that current venue-based surveillance systems may underestimate risk behaviours, overlook trends among unsampled online MSM, and misinterpret trends observed in sampled MSM due to "sample drift" of most-at-risk MSM.

Who is Omitted from Repeated Offline HIV Behavioural Surveillance Among MSM? Implications for Interpreting Trends

There is increasing demand internationally for better-quality information on people with a non-heterosexual orientation. Information requirements include both basic demographic characteristics as well as evidence of disparities in outcomes or differences in needs compared to the general population. The availability and therefore collection of such data are essential if social policies are to be responsive to all groups protected under the Human Rights Act 1993, and if the impact of interventions targeted at sexual orientation minorities is to be properly evaluated. In light of ongoing difficulties obtaining accurate data on basic demographic variables for this population, we consider whether the census can provide accurate geographic micro-clustering data on homosexual males by comparing census data with a nation-wide survey of homosexual men. Place of residence information was targeted due to the importance of this variable in guiding future survey sampling and the provision of social and health services. The geographic micro-clustering profile of homosexual men in both data sets was congruent, and considerably different to the general male population: 12-13% of the national population of homosexual men resided in an inner-city Auckland area compared to 1.3% of all males aged over 15.

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geOgRAPhiC MiCRO-ClusteRing OF hOMOseXuAl Men: iMPliCAtiOns FOR ReseARCh AnD sOCiAl POliCy

AIMS To investigate the lifetime self-reported incidence of sexually transmitted diseases and hepatitis A, B and C in a national sample of men who have sex with men (MSM) in New Zealand. METHODS A national telephone survey of MSM was conducted in 1996 with the aim of collecting baseline information on the sexual behaviour, safe sex practices, socio-sexual milieu and HIV knowledge of a broad range of MSM. RESULTS Of the 1852 respondents, 37.1% reported a lifetime history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), 7.0% reported hepatitis A, 8.0% hepatitis B and 1.8% hepatitis C. A quarter (26.2%) had been for a sexual health check-up or treatment in the year prior to survey. Logistic regression analysis revealed independent associations with STD history (older age, higher number of lifetime partners, seeking partners in public venues, tested HIV positive), HAV (older age, higher number of lifetime partners, use of sex venues, tested HIV positive), HBV (older age, seeking partners in public venues, tested HIV positive), HCV (lower income, recent injecting drug use, tested HIV positive). CONCLUSIONS This is the first time that information on STDs and hepatitis among a large national sample of MSM has been collected in New Zealand. The findings corroborate previous evidence that MSM are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections other than HIV.

Sexually transmitted diseases and hepatitis in a national sample of men who have sex with men in New Zealand.

Objectives: To describe trends in HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) in New Zealand 1996-2008, and to identify characteristics associated with HIV diagnoses in the resurgent phase. Methods: Data collected through routine surveillance of HIV infection, where the mode of transmission included homosexual contact, were analysed over the period 1996-2008. Results: Annual HIV diagnoses were low during 1996-2000, rose sharply between 2001 and 2005, and remained at an elevated plateau between 2006 and 2008. Over a quarter were attributed to HIV infection acquired overseas (28.6%). Trends in diagnoses of locally acquired HIV infection closely mirrored the trend of three diagnosis phases. Increases in locally acquired HIV occurred among virtually all characteristics of MSM. However, compared with MSM diagnosed in the low phase 1996-2000, individuals diagnosed in the resurgent phase 2001-05 were more likely to be aged 30-39, to have tested HIV-negative within the previous 2 years, to live in the Northern region encompassing Auckland, and to be of non-European ethnicity. The per capita HIV diagnosis rate among MSM was lowest in 1997, at 22.0 per million males aged 15-64, and highest in 2005 at 66.7 per million. Conclusion: The increase in HIV diagnoses among MSM in New Zealand was primarily due to an increase in locally acquired HIV infection, which disproportionately affected some groups of MSM. Factors driving this change in local epidemic conditions need to be identified. The rate of new HIV diagnoses among MSM remains low by international standards.

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Anthony J Hughes

Papers

Actual and undiagnosed HIV prevalence in a community sample of men who have sex with men in Auckland, New Zealand.

Who is Omitted from Repeated Offline HIV Behavioural Surveillance Among MSM? Implications for Interpreting Trends

geOgRAPhiC MiCRO-ClusteRing OF hOMOseXuAl Men: iMPliCAtiOns FOR ReseARCh AnD sOCiAl POliCy

Sexually transmitted diseases and hepatitis in a national sample of men who have sex with men in New Zealand.

Increase in HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men in New Zealand from a stable low period