Comparison of risk behaviors and socio-cultural profile of men who have sex with men survey respondents recruited via venues and the internet

An anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted. A total of 566 Chinese MSM (340 recruited from gay-venues and 226 recruited from the internet) who self-reported having had anal or oral sex with another man in the last 12 months completed a structured questionnaire.Internet-based MSM were more likely than venue-based MSM to have engaged in unprotected anal intercourse (53.3% vs. 33.8%) or commercial sex (as clients: 12.8% vs. 5.3%; as sex workers: 6.2% vs. 1.5%), to have sought MSM partners from the internet (51.3% vs. 20.9%), and to have contracted sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in the last 12 months (4.4% vs. 0.3%). On the other hand, internet-based MSM were less likely to have multiple sex partners (58.4% vs. 75.6%) and to have used psychoactive substances (7.1% vs. 15.6%) or drunk alcohol before sex (8.8% vs. 16.2%). Moreover, internet-based MSM reported poor acceptance of their own sexual orientation, felt more discriminated against, and received less social support than venue-recruited MSM.Significant differences were observed between the two groups of MSM. Segmentation and targeted interventions are recommended when designing preventive interventions.The prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) has been increasing in different parts of the world [1-5]. Although venue-based sampling has frequently been used in studies targeting MSM [6-9], the internet is becoming a potentially useful and cost-effective option [10-13]. Internet-recruited MSM, as compared to venue-based MSM, were in general more likely to report different socio-demographic profiles and higher levels of risk behaviors such as unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) [14,15], though mixed results have been reported [14-16]. Most studies investigating risk factors in association with UAI sampled MSM from gay-venues [e.g., 6,8,9] but it is unknown whether internet-based MSM have different risk factors. There is a dearth of data comparing risk factors among MSM recruited from differen