Demographic and behavioural characteristics and STI of men who have sex with men attending the STI outpatient clinic of Amsterdam, February to April 2011, according to rectal douching habits
| Rectal douching (N=460) | No rectal douching (N=534) | Total (N=994) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (% within group) | n (% within group) | n (% within group) | p Value | |
| Age (years) | <0.001 | |||
| <25 | 24 (5.2) | 81 (15.2) | 105 (10.6) | |
| 25–34 | 119 (25.9) | 168 (31.5) | 287 (28.9) | |
| 35–44 | 156 (33.9) | 135 (25.3) | 291 (29.3) | |
| 45–54 | 121 (26.3) | 98 (18.4) | 219 (22.0) | |
| ≥55 | 40 (8.7) | 52 (9.7) | 92 (9.3) | |
| Ethnicity | 0.058 | |||
| Dutch | 338 (73.5) | 363 (68.0) | 701 (70.5) | |
| Non-Dutch | 122 (26.5) | 171 (32.0) | 293 (29.5) | |
| Surinamese or Dutch-Antillean | 23 (5.0) | 29 (5.4) | 52 (5.2) | |
| South-American | 14 (3.0) | 22 (4.1) | 36 (3.6) | |
| Eastern-European | 17 (3.7) | 19 (3.6) | 36 (3.6) | |
| Asian | 10 (2.2) | 11 (2.1) | 21 (2.1) | |
| Other | 58 (12.6) | 90 (16.8) | 148 (14.9) | |
| Sexual partners | <0.001 | |||
| Only men | 442 (96.1) | 479 (89.7) | 921 (92.7) | |
| Men and women | 18 (3.9) | 55 (10.3) | 73 (7.3) | |
| Most high-risk type of partner*† | 0.441 | |||
| Steady partner | 48 (10.4) | 62 (11.7) | 110 (11.1) | |
| Known casual/ex-steady partner | 125 (27.2) | 160 (30.2) | 285 (28.8) | |
| Casual partner | 200 (43.5) | 204 (38.5) | 404 (40.8) | |
| Anonymous partner/sex worker/client | 87 (18.9) | 104 (19.6) | 191 (19.3) | |
| Number of sex partners* | <0.001 | |||
| 0–2 | 68 (14.8) | 141 (26.4) | 209 (21.0) | |
| 3–5 | 125 (27.2) | 176 (33.0) | 301 (30.3) | |
| ≥6 | 267 (58.0) | 217 (40.6) | 484 (48.7) | |
| Sex in exchange for money/goods* | ||||
| No | 451 (98.0) | 523 (97.9) | 974 (98.0) | 0.908 |
| Yes | 9 (2.0) | 11 (2.1) | 20 (2.0) | |
| Notified of STI | 0.001 | |||
| Not notified | 368 (80.0) | 467 (87.5) | 835 (84.0) | |
| Notified | 92 (20.0) | 67 (12.5) | 159 (16.0) | |
| HIV status‡ | <0.001 | |||
| HIV negative | 240 (52.4) | 462 (86.7) | 702 (70.6) | |
| HIV positive | 218 (47.6) | 71 (13.3) | 289 (29.1) | |
| CAS* | <0.001 | |||
| No CAS (always condom use or no anal sex) | 176 (38.3) | 327 (61.2) | 503 (50.6) | |
| CAS (no or inconsistent use of condoms or condom failure) | 284 (61.7) | 207 (38.8) | 491 (49.4) | |
| Rectal douching (N=460) | No rectal douching (N=534) | Total (N=994) |
p Value | |
| Sexual position (self-identified)*§ | <0.001 | |||
| No anal sex | 9 (2.0) | 103 (19.4) | 112 (11.3) | |
| Only insertive anal sex | 12 (2.6) | 187 (35.3) | 199 (20.1) | |
| Only receptive anal sex | 70 (15.2) | 51 (9.6) | 121 (12.2) | |
| Receptive and insertive anal sex | 369 (80.2) | 189 (35.7) | 558 (56.4) | |
| STI | ||||
| Chlamydia (non-LGV)¶ | 52 (11.4) | 45 (8.4) | 97 (9.8) | 0.116 |
| Anorectal chlamydia (non-LGV) | 42 (9.2) | 19 (3.6) | 61 (6.2) | <0.001 |
| Gonorrhoea** | 62 (13.5) | 53 (9.9) | 115 (11.6) | 0.081 |
| Anorectal gonorrhoea | 33 (7.2) | 14 (2.6) | 47 (4.7) | 0.001 |
| LGV | 4 (0.9) | 0 | 4 (0.4) | 0.031 |
| Syphilis (recent, stadium 1 or 2) | 22 (4.8) | 8 (1.5) | 30 (3.0) | 0.003 |
| TPHA positive | 186 (40.4) | 86 (16.1) | 272 (27.4) | <0.001 |
| HIV diagnosis at study inclusion | 10 (4.0) | 4 (0.9) | 14 (2.0) | 0.004 |
| Antibodies hepatitis-B core antigen†† | 0.271 | |||
| Positive antibodies | 25/243 (10.3) | 27/351 (7.7) | 52/594 (8.8) | |
| Antibodies hepatitis-C core antigen‡‡ | 0.084 | |||
| Positive antibodies | 11/162 (6.4) | 1/76 (1.3) | 12/238 (4.8) | |
| Any STI (chlamydia, LGV, gonorrhoea, syphilis or HIV) | 123 (26.7) | 99 (18.2) | 222 (22.3) | 0.002 |
| Anorectal chlamydia, gonorrhoea or LGV | 72 (15.7) | 31 (5.8) | 103 (10.4) | <0.001 |
*During the preceding 6 months.
†Missing number of most high-risk type of partner is n=4.
‡Missing number of HIV status is n=3.
§Missing number of sexual position is n=4.
¶Pharyngeal, urethral and/or anorectal.
**Pharyngeal, urethral and/or anorectal.
††Missing number of hepatitis-B antibodies is n=400.
‡‡Missing number of hepatitis-C antibodies is n=744.
CAS, condomless anal sex; LGV, Lymphogranuloma venereum; TPHA, treponema pallidum haemagglutination test.