Characteristics of HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) at completion of their first sexual behaviour questionnaire, OHTN Cohort Study, 2010–2013
| Total N | 1997 (100%) |
| Mean age at baseline (SD) | 47.7 (10.2) |
| Self-reported sexual orientation | |
| Gay | 1767 (88.5%) |
| Bisexual | 151 (7.6%) |
| Heterosexual | 58 (2.9%) |
| Unknown* | 21 (1.1%) |
| Race/ethnicity | |
| White | 1492 (74.7%) |
| Black/African | 80 (4.0%) |
| Mixed race/ethnicity | 168 (8.4%) |
| Indigenous | 85 (4.3%) |
| Other | 170 (8.5%) |
| Education | |
| High school or less | 448 (22.4%) |
| Some postsecondary | 435 (21.8%) |
| Completed postsecondary | 1111 (55.6%) |
| Annual personal income | |
| <$C20 000 | 702 (35.2%) |
| $C20 000–$C59 999 | 794 (39.8%) |
| ≥$C60 000 | 470 (23.5%) |
| Unknown | 31 (1.6%) |
| Region where receiving HIV care | |
| Toronto | 1703 (85.3%) |
| Other | 294 (14.7%) |
| Year of HIV diagnosis | |
| Prior to 2000 | 1129 (56.5%) |
| 2000–2009 | 737 (36.9%) |
| 2010 or later | 131 (6.6%) |
| Median (IQR) | 1997 (1991–2005) |
| HIV clinical status | |
| Initiated antiretroviral treatment | 1647 (82.5%) |
| Mean CD4 cell count/mm3 (SD) | 537 (253) |
| Undetectable viral load (<40 copies/mL) | 1568 (78.5%) |
| Recreational drug use in the preceding 6 months | |
| Any† | 418 (20.9%) |
| Methamphetamines | 188 (9.4%) |
| Cocaine | 205 (10.3%) |
| Club drugs‡ | 217 (10.9%) |
| Other§ | 187 (9.4%) |
| Multiple (two or more) | 232 (11.6%) |
| Sexual behaviours in the preceding 3 months | |
| Number of sexual partners | |
| None | 710 (35.6%) |
| One | 535 (26.8%) |
| Two to four | 452 (22.6%) |
| Five or more | 274 (13.7%) |
| Number of HIV-positive partners | |
| None | 1210 (60.6%) |
| One | 330 (16.5%) |
| Two to four | 255 (12.8%) |
| Five or more | 100 (5.0%) |
| Number of HIV-negative/status unknown partners | |
| None | 1101 (55.1%) |
| One | 364 (18.2%) |
| Two to four | 229 (11.5%) |
| Five or more | 214 (10.7%) |
| Anal sex | |
| No partner | 710 (35.6%) |
| Sexually active but no anal sex | 319 (16.0%) |
| Anal sex always with a condom | 349 (17.5%) |
| Any condomless anal sex | 551 (27.6%) |
| Anal sex with HIV-positive partners¶ | |
| No HIV-positive partners | 1210 (60.6%) |
| Sexually active but no anal sex | 124 (6.2%) |
| Anal sex always with a condom | 147 (7.4%) |
| Any condomless anal sex | 416 (20.8%) |
| Anal sex with HIV-negative/status unknown partners¶ | |
| No HIV-negative/status unknown partners | 1101 (55.1%) |
| Sexually active but no anal sex | 214 (10.7%) |
| Anal sex always with a condom | 347 (17.4%) |
| Any condomless anal sex | 257 (12.9%) |
*Only 0.1% of the sample had missing data for race/ethnicity and 0.2% for education.
†Any recreational drug use includes anabolic steroids, amphetamines, methamphetamines, cocaine, crack/freebase, club drugs, heroin, other opiates, tranquilisers and other drugs, except cannabis as it was unmeasured for 4/7 participating clinic sites.
‡Club drugs include Ecstasy/MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), Special K (ketamine), GHB (γ hydroxybutyrate), PCP (phencyclidine) and poppers (amyl nitrite).
§Other includes anabolic steroids, amphetamines, crack/freebase, heroin, other opiates, tranquilisers and ‘other’ option in drug use section of questionnaire.
¶Serostatus-specific variables were not mutually exclusive. The sexual behaviour questionnaire had a series of questions for HIV-positive partners followed by questions specific to HIV-negative/status unknown partners allowing for the capture and coding of different sexual practices by HIV status of partners.