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Number of Risk Acts by Relationship Status and Partner Serostatus: Findings from the HIM Cohort of Homosexually Active Men in Sydney, Australia

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In recent years, increases in both risk behavior and in seroconversion among homosexually active men have been noted in a number of parts of the world. Data were available from 903 HIV negative homosexual men regarding number of acts of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), separated into receptive and insertive UAI, with and without ejaculation, with steady and with casual partners. Partners were classified according to serostatus as reported by respondents. Men (N = 325) reported 13,692 UAI acts, most of which were with steady partners, of whom most were reported to be HIV-negative. With HIV-positive partners, both steady and casual, and with casual partners of unknown serostatus, receptive UAI with ejaculation was relatively rare. Insertive UAI without ejaculation was relatively common with casual partners of unknown serostatus. Patterns of UAI suggest that risk of transmission may be greater with steady partners. Men appear to modify practice according to both the nature of the relationship (steady or casual) and (assumed) serostatus of partner.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations and the AIDS Council of New South Wales for collaboration with the project which was funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (Canberra), the New South Wales Health Department (Sydney) and the National Institutes of Health, a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIH/NIAID/DAIDS: HVDDT Award N01-AI-05395).

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Correspondence to June M. Crawford.

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Crawford, J.M., Kippax, S.C., Mao, L. et al. Number of Risk Acts by Relationship Status and Partner Serostatus: Findings from the HIM Cohort of Homosexually Active Men in Sydney, Australia. AIDS Behav 10, 325–331 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-9057-3

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