Objectives: The HIV epidemic spreads among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. The objective of this study was to examine and compare HIV/AIDS knowledge and sexual risk for HIV between MSM who engaged in concurrent sexual partnerships and MSM who did not.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using respondent driven sampling was conducted among 351 MSM in Shenzhen, China.
Results: About half (49%) of respondents reported having concurrent sexual partnerships during the past 6 months. Among MSM with concurrent sexual partnerships, 62% had only male partners and 38% had both male and female partners. The proportion of inconsistent condom use was 42% among MSM with concurrent partners and 30% among MSM without. These 2 groups reported a similar level of self-perceived risk for HIV. Compared to MSM without concurrent sexual partners, those with such partners were more likely to work in entertainment venues and had a lower level of HIV/AIDS knowledge.
Conclusions: The large number of MSM engaging in concurrent sexual partnerships and the high prevalence of bisexuality could accelerate the spread of HIV to the general population unless effective HIV interventions for MSM are implemented in China.