title: Following Lives Undergoing Change (Flux) study: Implementation and baseline prevalence of drug use in an online cohort study of gay and bisexual men in Australia.
abstract: Drug use among gay and bisexual men (GBM) is higher than most populations. The use of crystal methamphetamine, erectile dysfunction medication (EDM), and amyl nitrite have been associated with sexual risk behaviour and HIV infection among gay and bisexual men (GBM).
  
  
  
  This paper describes an online prospective observational study of licit and illicit drug use among GBM and explores baseline prevalence of drug use in this sample. Capturing these data poses challenges as participants are required to disclose potentially illegal behaviours in a geographically dispersed country. To address this issue, an entirely online and study specific methodology was chosen.
  
  
  
  Men living in Australia, aged 16.5 years of age or older, who identified as homosexual or bisexual or had sex with at least one man in the preceding 12 months were eligible to enrol.
  
  
  
  Between September 2014 and July 2015, a total of 2250 participants completed the baseline questionnaire, of whom, 1710 (76.0%) consented to six-monthly follow-up. The majority (65.7%) were recruited through Facebook targeted advertising. At baseline, over half (50.5%) the men reported the use of any illicit drug in the previous six months, and 28.0% had used party drugs. In the six months prior to enrolment, 12.0% had used crystal methamphetamine, 21.8% had used EDM, and 32.1% had used amyl nitrite. Among the 1710 men enrolled into the cohort, 790 men had used none of these drugs.
  
  
  
  Ease of entry and minimal research burden on participants helped ensure successful recruitment into this online cohort study. Study outcomes will include the initiation and cessation of drug use, associated risk behaviours, and health consequences, over time. Results will provide insights into the role gay community plays in patterns of drug use among GBM.
authors.affiliation: The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, Level 6, Wallace Wurth Building, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia. Electronic address: mhammoud@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hammoud
authors.affiliation: The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, Level 6, Wallace Wurth Building, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Fengyi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Australia, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Louisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Degenhardt
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Australia, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Toby
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lea
authors.affiliation: The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, Level 6, Wallace Wurth Building, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.affiliation: Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge Campus, Cambridge CB1 1PT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grierson
authors.affiliation: ACON NSW, 414 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia.
authors.forename: Brent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mackie
authors.affiliation: ACON NSW, 414 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pastorelli
authors.affiliation: Victorian AIDS Council, 6 Claremont St, South Yarra, VIC 3141, Australia.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Batrouney
authors.affiliation: NSW Users and AIDS Association, 5, 414 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicky
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bath
authors.affiliation: The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, Level 6, Wallace Wurth Building, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.affiliation: The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, Level 6, Wallace Wurth Building, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Garrett P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Prestage
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000680:Amyl Nitrite / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001727:Bisexuality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008694:Methamphetamine; D000680:Amyl Nitrite
keywords: Automated online methodology; Cohort; Drug prevalence; Drug use; Gay and bisexual men; Online surveys