Associations Between Methods of Meeting Sexual Partners and Sexual Practices Among Heterosexuals: Cross-sectional Study in Melbourne, Australia

Heidi Constantinou; Christopher K Fairley; Jane S Hocking; Catriona S Bradshaw; Edmond P H Choi; Kate Maddaford; Tiffany R Phillips; Eric P F Chow

doi:10.2196/26202

Associations Between Methods of Meeting Sexual Partners and Sexual Practices Among Heterosexuals: Cross-sectional Study in Melbourne, Australia

JMIR Form Res. 2021 Jul 20;5(7):e26202. doi: 10.2196/26202.

Authors

Heidi Constantinou^{1

2}, Christopher K Fairley^{1

2}, Jane S Hocking³, Catriona S Bradshaw^{1

2}, Edmond P H Choi⁴, Kate Maddaford², Tiffany R Phillips^#^{1

2}, Eric P F Chow^#^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Central Clinical School, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
² Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Carlton, Australia.
³ Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
⁴ School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 34283024
PMCID: PMC8335617
DOI: 10.2196/26202

Abstract

Background: The association between meeting partners on the web and sexual practices has been understudied in heterosexuals.

Objective: This study aims to examine the associations between the methods of meeting partners and sexual practices and HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in heterosexuals.

Methods: We conducted a survey among heterosexuals attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre in 2019. This survey asked about the methods through which the participants engaged in meeting their sexual partners, sexual practices, and intravenous drug use (IVDU) over the past 3 months. The participants' HIV and STI (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis) status was obtained from clinical testing. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between each method of meeting and the participants' sexual practices, IVDU, and STI status.

Results: A total of 698 participants (325 men and 373 women) were included in the study. Most of the participants reported using only one method to meet partners (222/325, 68.3% men; 245/373, 65.7% women; P=.05). The men met partners most commonly at social venues (eg, bar, pub, or party; 126/325, 38.8%), whereas the women met partners most commonly through friends or family (178/373, 47.7%). Paying for sex was associated with men meeting partners at sex venues (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 145.34, 95% CI 26.13-808.51) and on the internet (AOR 10.00, 95% CI 3.61-27.55). There was no association between IVDU and methods of meeting. Social venues were associated with condomless vaginal sex among men (AOR 3.31, 95% CI 1.94-5.71) and women (AOR 2.58, 95% CI 1.61-4.13) and testing positive for STI among men (AOR 3.04, 95% CI 1.24-7.48) and women (AOR 3.75, 95% CI 1.58-8.89).

Conclusions: Heterosexuals who met partners at social venues had a more than threefold risk of testing positive for STIs, indicating that heterosexuals may benefit from health promotion campaigns that are delivered through a public setting.

Keywords: dating apps; health risk behaviors; internet; mobile phone; sexually transmitted infections.

©Heidi Constantinou, Christopher K Fairley, Jane S Hocking, Catriona S Bradshaw, Edmond P H Choi, Kate Maddaford, Tiffany R Phillips, Eric P F Chow. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 20.07.2021.