%0 Journal Article
%T Substance use and sexual behaviours of Japanese men who have sex with men: A nationwide internet survey conducted in Japan
%A Yasuharu Hidaka
%A Seiichi Ichikawa
%A Junko Koyano
%A Michiko Urao
%A Toshihiko Yasuo
%A Hirokazu Kimura
%A Masako Ono-Kihara
%A Masahiro Kihara
%J BMC Public Health
%D 2006
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2458-6-239
%X Between 28 February 2003 and 16 May 2003 MSM were recruited through 57 Japanese gay-oriented Web sites, gay magazines, and Internet mailing lists. Participants completed a structured questionnaire anonymously through the Internet.In total, 2,062 Japanese MSM completed the questionnaire. The average age of participants was 29.0 years and 70.5% identified as gay, 20.8% as bisexual, and 8.7% as other. Overall, 34.5% reported never using a substance, 45% reported ever using one type of substance (lifetime reported single substance users), and 19.6% had used more than 1 type of substance (lifetime reported multiple substance users) in their lifetimes. The substances most commonly used were amyl nitrite (63.2%), 5-methoxy-N, N-diisopropyltryptamine (5MEO-DIPT) (9.3%), and marijuana (5.7%). In the multivariate analysis, unprotected anal intercourse, having had 6 or more sexual partners, visiting a sex club/gay venue in the previous 6 months, a lower education level, and being 30 to 39 years of age were associated with both lifetime single and lifetime multiple substance use. Lifetime reported multiple substance use was also correlated with having a casual sex partner, having symptoms of depression, being diagnosed as HIV-positive, and greater HIV/AIDS-related knowledge.This is the first Internet-based research focused on the sexual and substance use behaviours of MSM in Asia. Our findings suggest a compelling need for prevention interventions to reduce HIV risk-related substance use behaviours among Japanese MSM. The results also suggest that the Internet is potentially a useful tool for collecting behavioural data and promoting prevention interventions among this population.Recently, the HIV epidemic has spread rapidly among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Japan. New HIV infections through sexual contact among MSM have continued to rise steadily over the last two decades with data indicating the rate of increase accelerating since 1999. According to the 2005 annual sur
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/6/239