Smarter research into gay sex risks

Research centres in NSW and Victoria are conducting several studies into the risks gay men take for sex and who is most likely to contract HIV.

Current presumptions are out of date, Dr Garrett Prestage from both the National Centre for HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society said.

HIV has changed enormously in the past decade and that means attitudes and beliefs have also changed enormously, Prestage told Sydney Star Observer.

We haven’t asked about that stuff for a very long time. We’ve taken it for granted.

The Pleasure and Sexual Health (PASH) study is being conducted in every mainland state with around 1500 gay men. Prestage hopes the results will be ready by the end of the year.

The aim is better programs to prevent new HIV infections, which cost governments millions each year.

Over the past decade gradually the average age of seroconversions has been creeping up, Prestage said.

Where the average age was about 33, now its about 38. One theory is that it’s the same generation most at risk gradually getting older, but we don’t know.

A separate study into people newly diagnosed with HIV also has an average age in the late 30s.

Seroconversion studies have been recruiting through inner-city medical clinics since the early 1990s and have been key to finding out which men are at the highest risk.
This year the recently diagnosed participants will be questioned via an anonymous online survey hoping to get more honest reflections on their behaviour.