Association between risk of acquiring HIV and beliefs and perceptions about the lived experience of HIV/AIDS among HIV-negative or untested men who have sex with men

Abstract

The study aim was to assess whether the sexual behaviour of HIV-negative or untested men who have sex with men (MSM) was related to their perceptions of what it is like to live with HIV/AIDS, their beliefs or their attitudes to highly active antiretroviral treatments. Any unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) with casual partners was used as the sexual-risk indicator. The study enrolled 261 MSM. There were no significant differences between beliefs, attitudes and perceptions about HIV/AIDS, knowledge of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) or exposure to the HIV/AIDS epidemic among those who had had UAI with casual partners and those that had not (P>0.12). Those who considered that low levels of viral load and withdrawing before ejaculation reduced the risk of HIV transmission were significantly more likely to have had UAI with a casual partner (P=0.03). Only a minority of MSM engaging in UAI were optimistic about antiretroviral therapy. The study participants were in general pessimistic about life with HIV/AIDS despite their risk-taking sexual behaviour.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their thanks to all the staff of Melbourne Sexual Health Centre for assistance in recruiting study participants and also to all participants who graciously volunteered for this research project. Thank you also to Anthony Smith and Sue Kippax for their role at initial stages of this research project, particularly during the preparation of the study protocol as well as the conception of the study questionnaire. Thank you also to the Capacity Building Project (Higher Education) of the University Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique for providing a scholarship to Mohsin Sidat for his PhD studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia.