Finding sex partners on the internet: what is the risk for sexually transmitted infections?
A A Al-Tayyib; M McFarlane; R Kachur; C A Rietmeijer
Abstract
Objective: To assess the association between sexual encounters with internet partners and current Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) infections.
Methods: Between August 2006 and March 2008, patients at the Denver Metro Health Clinic were routinely asked about sexual encounters with internet partners. This retrospective case-control study was limited to patients who tested for Ct/GC at their visit. Analyses were stratified by sexual orientation to account for differences in baseline risk behaviours.
Objective: To assess the association between sexual encounters with internet partners and current Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) infections.
Methods: Between August 2006 and March 2008, patients at the Denver Metro Health Clinic were routinely asked about sexual encounters with internet partners. This retrospective case-control study was limited to patients who tested for Ct/GC at their visit. Analyses were stratified by sexual orientation to account for differences in baseline risk behaviours.
Results: Of 14 955 patients with a valid Ct/GC test result, 2802 (19%) were infected with Ct/GC. Stratified by sexual orientation, the prevalence of Ct/GC infection was 17% for men who have sex with men (MSM), 21% for men who have sex with women (MSW) and 16% for women. A total of 339 (23%) MSM, 192 (3%) MSW and 98 (2%) women reported having a sexual encounter with a person they met on the internet in the past 4 months. The estimates of the association between recent internet sex partner and current Ct/GC infection were not significant for MSM (risk ratio (RR): 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.84 to 1.49) and women (RR: 0.81, 95% CI 0.45 to 1.48). However, the association appeared to be significantly protective among MSW (RR: 0.66, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.98).
Conclusions: Sexual encounters with internet partners did not appear to be associated with increased risk of current Ct/GC infection among people seeking care at a sexual health clinic. Seeking sexual partners on the internet is a complex behaviour and its implications for STI/HIV infection are not fully understood.
Introduction
With roughly 238 million internet users in the United States and over one billion users worldwide, the internet is a significant part of daily life and has provided a new environment for interaction among internet users. Included in these interactions are opportunities for seeking and meeting sexual partners. The use of the internet as a venue for meeting sexual partners first came to the attention of public health officials after an outbreak of syphilis in San Francisco was traced back to an AOL chat room used predominately by men who have sex with men (MSM).
Since then, several studies have found that those who seek sex partners online are at greater risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV infection. However, most studies have used markers for STI/HIV rather than infection status itself, including number of sex partners, unprotected (anal) intercourse or history of STI. Furthermore, in many of these studies, risk behaviours have been compared between people seeking sex online and people who were not. As the latter group more than likely includes individuals at generally lower risk, online sex seeking may have been a marker, rather than the cause, of risky behaviour. Finally, most of the online sex partner research has been conducted among MSM, as this behaviour is more prevalent in this
population.
It is unclear from these studies whether seeking sexual partners on the internet is simply a marker of high-risk sexual behaviours, as we have previously suggested, or whether it actually increases ones risk of acquiring an STI. To our knowledge, no study has evaluated the association between seeking sexual partners online and current STI status. To help elucidate these issues, we analysed data from patients attending an urban STI clinic with the aim of examining the association between self-reports of online sex partnering and current STI, specifically infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct). We postulated that these effects would vary among different sexual orientations and therefore examined each of these groups separately. Finally, to avoid only comparing those who had internet sex-seeking experience with those who never sought sex partners online, we compared those with recent versus those with more distant or non-existent online sex-seeking experiences.
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Conclusions: Sexual encounters with internet partners did not appear to be associated with increased risk of current Ct/GC infection among people seeking care at a sexual health clinic. Seeking sexual partners on the internet is a complex behaviour and its implications for STI/HIV infection are not fully understood.
Introduction
With roughly 238 million internet users in the United States and over one billion users worldwide, the internet is a significant part of daily life and has provided a new environment for interaction among internet users. Included in these interactions are opportunities for seeking and meeting sexual partners. The use of the internet as a venue for meeting sexual partners first came to the attention of public health officials after an outbreak of syphilis in San Francisco was traced back to an AOL chat room used predominately by men who have sex with men (MSM).
Since then, several studies have found that those who seek sex partners online are at greater risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV infection. However, most studies have used markers for STI/HIV rather than infection status itself, including number of sex partners, unprotected (anal) intercourse or history of STI. Furthermore, in many of these studies, risk behaviours have been compared between people seeking sex online and people who were not. As the latter group more than likely includes individuals at generally lower risk, online sex seeking may have been a marker, rather than the cause, of risky behaviour. Finally, most of the online sex partner research has been conducted among MSM, as this behaviour is more prevalent in this
population.
It is unclear from these studies whether seeking sexual partners on the internet is simply a marker of high-risk sexual behaviours, as we have previously suggested, or whether it actually increases ones risk of acquiring an STI. To our knowledge, no study has evaluated the association between seeking sexual partners online and current STI status. To help elucidate these issues, we analysed data from patients attending an urban STI clinic with the aim of examining the association between self-reports of online sex partnering and current STI, specifically infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct). We postulated that these effects would vary among different sexual orientations and therefore examined each of these groups separately. Finally, to avoid only comparing those who had internet sex-seeking experience with those who never sought sex partners online, we compared those with recent versus those with more distant or non-existent online sex-seeking experiences.
DOWNLOAD COMPLETE PDF HERE
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