The EXPLORE study evaluated a behavioral intervention to prevent HIV seroconversion among men who have sex with men (MSM). The present ancillary study enrolled 345 EXPLORE participants at one study site (Boston) and assessed high-risk sexual behavior with other EXPLORE participants. It also assessed sexual intentions across other EXPLORE participants, HIV-negative individuals, and unknown HIV serostatus partners. Thirty-one percent reported having sex with another EXPLORE participant: 27% unprotected receptive oral sex with ejaculation (UO), 30% unprotected insertive anal sex (UIA), and 34% reported unprotected receptive anal sex (URA). Significant relationships between intentions to engage in UO, UIA, and URA, and type of partner emerged with intentions to engage in UO, UIA, and URA higher in HIV-negative partners, other EXPLORE participants, and unknown-HIV serostatus partners. Future HIV-prevention studies recruiting MSM at increased sexual risk of HIV infection should address participants potentially becoming sexual partners with each other.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by the HIV Network for Prevention Trials and sponsored by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, of the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, through contract N01 AI35176 with Abt Associates Inc.; contract N01 AI45200 with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In addition, this work was supported by the HIV Prevention Trials Network and sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Office of AIDS Research, of the National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, through a cooperative agreement with Family Health International (cooperative agreement 5 U01 AI46749) with a subsequent subcontract to Abt Associates Inc. and a cooperative agreement U01 AI48040 to the Fenway Community Health Center. Special thanks to Marla Husnik for reviewing the manuscript.
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Mimiaga, M.J., Safren, S.A., Benet, D.J. et al. MSM in HIV-Prevention Trials are Sexual Partners With Each Other: An Ancillary Study to the EXPLORE Intervention. AIDS Behav 10, 27–34 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-9025-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-9025-y