Abstract:

Objective To study the relationship between sexual partner status and sexually transmitted infection （STI） incidence among men who have sex with men （MSM） in China. Methods Anonymous questionnaires were designed and delivered to survey 2265 MSM in 9 Chinese cities, including Harbin, Shenyang, Nanjing, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Xi′an, Chongqing and Chengdu. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS 11.0. Results Totally, 2250 valid questionnaires were returned, with a response rate of 99.3%. STI occurred in 17.7% （399/2250） of the participants. The number of male sexual partners of MSM with STI was greater than those without STI （81.29 ± 9.17 vs 67.15 ± 6.65, t = 2.611, P < 0.05）. MSM whose sexual partners had fewer sexual partners showed a lower STI incidence compared with those whose sexual partners had more （P < 0.05）. STI incidence increased in MSM who got acquainted with sexual partners in public lavatory, park and bathroom in comparison with those who met sexual partners through classmates, friends and neighbors. MSM who had single fixed sexual partner had a lower STI incidence than those who had more than one fixed sexual partners （P < 0.01）. A higher STI incidence was also observed in MSM who were in marriage versus those out of marriage （P < 0.05）, and in MSM who separated with their wives versus those who cohabited （P < 0.05）. Conclusions The decrease in male sexual partners may facilitate the reduction in STI incidence. Meeting sexual partners in public lavatory, park and bath may be an important transmission route of STI/HIV. Heterosexual behavior is a risk for STI transmission in MSM.