title: Perceived importance of five different health issues for gay and bisexual men: implications for new directions in health education and prevention.
abstract: This study assessed the perceived importance of five health issues for gay and bisexual men (N = 660) using time-space sampling in gay bars/clubs and bathhouses in New York City: "HIV & STDs," "Drugs & Alcohol," "Body Image," "Mental Health," and "Smoking." This study compared ratings based on demographic differences, recent substance use, recent sexual risk behavior, and whether or not participants owned a smart device (e.g., "smart" phone, iPad, iPod touch). Contrary to research indicating that gay and bisexual men may be experiencing HIV prevention fatigue, this study identified that HIV and STIs were perceived as most important. Drugs and alcohol and mental health were also rated high, suggesting that providers may be well served to include mental health and drugs and alcohol as part of their comprehensive approach to HIV prevention. A majority of participants (72%) owned a smart device. Smart device owners rated health issues similarly to those who did not, suggesting that such devices may be a useful platform to reach gay and bisexual men for health education and prevention.
authors.affiliation: Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA. cgrov@brooklyn.cuny.edu
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grov
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ventuneac
authors.forename: H Jonathon
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Rendina
authors.forename: Ruben H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.forename: Jeffrey T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Parsons
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001828:Body Image; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006306:Health Surveys; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054526:Men's Health; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D010465:Perception; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: HIV; drugs and alcohol; gay and bisexual men; mental health; sexually transmitted infections; smoking