Community survey time

It’s time to get your pens out and start ticking boxes for the Melbourne Gay Community Periodic Survey, an annual study which collects data on the sex and relationship habits of gay men and men-who-have-sex-with-men.

The survey aims to take a yearly snapshot of gay men’s sexual practices as they relate to the spread of STIs, including HIV.

Beginning in 1998, the study provides bare statistics to other health organisations, such as the Victorian AIDS Council, to guide campaigns and target health promotion and is conducted at Melbourne social venues, gay sex-on-premise venues, gay men’s health clinics and the Midsumma Festival.

Quite promisingly, the 2008 survey found 88.6 percent of respondents reported being tested for HIV, with an increased proportion having been tested in the previous 12 months -” up from figures in 2002.

In terms of relationships, 30.6 percent of respondents reported having a regular partner only, 25.9 percent had casual partners and 30.6 percent had both regular and casual. Around 17 percent recorded no sexual relationship with men at the time.

Somewhat worryingly among men who had casual partners, almost a third (29.3 percent) reported having unprotected anal intercourse, while 46.9 percent had always used condoms for anal intercourse with casual partners.

Survey coordinator Henry von Doussa from the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society said the data gathered allows long-term comparisons to be made to gain a picture of changing sexual and partnering habits and HIV rates.

-œOne positive thing from last year’s survey is testing rates have gone up. Guys are testing more frequently, which suggests that campaigns run have been useful -” so it’s also good feedback as well.

The survey is anonymous and is available at Midsumma Carnival Day.

For copies of last year’s survey, follow the links from the Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria website www.glhv.org.au.