Online sex-seeking among Chinese heterosexual men who seek care in sexually transmitted infections clinics: a cross-sectional study

Background The Internet has become an important virtual venue for men who have sex with men to seek sexual partners, with a high potential threat to spread sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, the online sex-seeking use and its risk causing STIs spread remain unclear among heterosexual men. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the use of online sex-seeking venues and the related risky sex activities (e.g. condomless sex, quick sex) in STIs clinics in Guangdong, China. Methods These STIs clinics were involved in the Guangdong governmental sentinel network and we recruited heterosexual men (age > = 18) between March and August 2018. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify the factors associated with online sex-seeking use and risky sex activities with online sex partners. Results 191 of 2,154 participants (8.9%) ever sought sex online. Among users,16.8% met their partners in-person within 24 h, 31.4% engaged in condomless sex with their last online partner. Online sex-seeking was positively associated with a) Ever been diagnosed with STIs (aOR = 3.0, 95%CI:2.0-4.6), and b) Had casual sex in the last three months (aOR = 3.3, 95%CI 2.4-4.6). Condomless sex with the last online partner was negatively associated with the correct answer of Having only one partner can reduce the risk to infect HIV (aOR = 0.3, 95%CI:0.1-0.8). Conclusion In China, online sex-seeking and its related risky sexual activities are not rare among heterosexual men. Future prevention strategies to reduce STIs incidence should especially target heterosexual men engaging in online sex-seeking.

Automated summary

The use of online platforms to seek sexual partners and engage in risky sexual activities is not uncommon among heterosexual men in China. Future prevention strategies should focus on heterosexual men who seek sex online to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted infections.