title: Finding sexual partners online: prevalence and associations with sexual behaviour, STI diagnoses and other sexual health outcomes in the British population.
abstract: Online venues might facilitate sexual encounters, but the extent to which finding partners online is associated with sexual risk behaviour and sexual health outcomes is unclear. We describe use of the internet to find sexual partners in a representative sample in Britain.
  
  
  
  The third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3) was a cross-sectional probability survey of 15 162 adults (aged 16-74 years) undertaken 2010-2012. We estimated prevalence of, and identified factors associated with, finding sexual partners online among those reporting ≥1 new sexual partners in the past year.
  
  
  
  Finding sexual partners online in the past year was reported by 17.6% (95% CI 15.6 to 19.9) of men and 10.1% (8.5-11.9) of women, and most common among those aged 35-44 years. After age-adjustment, those reporting a non-heterosexual identity were more likely to report this. Finding partners online was also associated with reporting sexual risk behaviours: condomless sex with ≥2 partners (adjusted OR (aOR) men: 1.52 (1.03 to 2.23); women: 1.62 (1.06 to 2.49)), concurrent partnerships (aOR men: 2.33 (1.62 to 3.35); women: 2.41 (1.49 to 3.87)) and higher partner numbers (reporting ≥5 partners aOR men: 5.95 (3.78 to 9.36); women: 7.00 (3.77 to 13.00)) (all past year). STI diagnoses and HIV testing were more common among men reporting finding partners online (adjusted for age, partner numbers, same-sex partnerships), but not women.
  
  
  
  Finding partners online was associated with markers of sexual risk, which might be important for clinical risk assessment, but this was not matched by uptake of sexual health services. Online opportunities to find partners have increased, so these data might underestimate the importance of this social phenomenon for public health and STI control.
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Infection & Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cabecinha
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Infection & Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Catherine H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Mercer
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of Northern Norway, Norway.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8194-3208
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gravningen
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Infection & Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7515-3667
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aicken
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Infection & Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Kyle G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Infection & Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Clare
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4612-1858
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tanton
authors.affiliation: Department of Social & Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Kaye
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wellings
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Infection & Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sonnenberg
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Infection & Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Nigel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Field
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000074384:Sexual Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR; SEXUAL EXPERIENCE; SEXUAL HEALTH