| Title |
The Relationship between Online Social Networking and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, May 2013
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0062271 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Sean D. Young, Greg Szekeres, Thomas Coates |
| Abstract |
Online social networking usage is growing rapidly, especially among at-risk populations, such as men who have sex with men (MSM). However, little research has studied the relationship between online social networking usage and sexual risk behaviors among at-risk populations. One hundred and eighteen Facebook-registered MSM (60.1% Latino, 28% African American; 11.9% other) were recruited from online (social networking websites and banner advertisements) and offline (local clinics, restaurants and organizations) venues frequented by minority MSM. Inclusion criteria required participants to be men who were 18 years of age or older, had had sex with a man in the past 12 months, were living in Los Angeles, and had a Facebook account. Participants completed an online survey on their social media usage and sexual risk behaviors. Results from a multivariable regression suggest that number of sexual partners met from online social networking technologies is associated with increased: 1) likelihood of having exchanged sex for food, drugs, or a place to stay within the past 3 months; 2) number of new partners within the past 3 months; 3) number of male sex partners within the past 3 months; and 4) frequency of engaging in oral sex within the past 3 months, controlling for age, race, education, and total number of sexual partners. Understanding the relationship between social media sex-seeking and sexual risk behaviors among at-risk populations will help inform population-focused HIV prevention and treatment interventions. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 9 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 5 | 56% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 11% |
| Brazil | 1 | 11% |
| India | 1 | 11% |
| Unknown | 1 | 11% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 7 | 78% |
| Scientists | 1 | 11% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 11% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 163 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 3 | 2% |
| Unknown | 160 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 33 | 20% |
| Student > Master | 26 | 16% |
| Researcher | 24 | 15% |
| Student > Bachelor | 18 | 11% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 8 | 5% |
| Other | 24 | 15% |
| Unknown | 30 | 18% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 37 | 23% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 27 | 17% |
| Psychology | 22 | 13% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 15 | 9% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 8 | 5% |
| Other | 13 | 8% |
| Unknown | 41 | 25% |