State of Play: findings from the England Gay Men’s Sex Survey

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Sigma Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, May 2016

The 2014 Gay Men’s Sex Survey was released this week. 15,360 men who have sex with men, living in England and aged 16 to 90 years, completed the online survey.

Findings included:

  • The proportion of men not happy with their sex lives was 41%.

 

  • The over 65s were most likely to be happy with their sex life.

 

  • Overall, 9% were living with diagnosed HIV infection and the annual incidence of new HIV diagnoses was 1.1%.

 

  • Among men with diagnosed HIV, 81% were on anti-HIV treatment,
    and 92% of those indicated their last viral load test result was undetectable.
  • The most common risk reduction tactics among men with diagnosed HIV
    were using lubricant for anal sex (73%), monitoring viral load (72%) and regular STI screenings (69%).
  • Among men without diagnosed HIV they were using lubricant for anal sex (77%), avoiding sex with men they thought had HIV (63%) and declining some sex partners (56%).
  • 61% of men indicated they had anal sex without a condom in the last 12 months; 14% had anal sex without condoms with both steady and non-steady partners in the last 12 months.
  • 7% had ever taken PEP, while 37% had never heard of PEP.
  • 42% of men with diagnosed HIV felt that alcohol or drugs had contributed to their acquiring HIV.
  • 20% had wanted a condom but not had access to one in the last 12 months and 14% had had condomless anal sex just because they did not have a condom.
  • Collective annual STI screening reached 52% of men (9% with symptoms, 43% without symptoms); and collective annual HIV testing reached 55%.
  • In counselling for men diagnosed with HIV, 29% were dissatisfied with the service they received.

 

Download report (PDF) here:

By J Pope

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