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STD Risk May Be Greater For Internet Sex Seekers
New strategies needed to promote STD/HIV prevention online

CHICAGO -- People who seek sex partners through the Internet may be at greater risk for sexually transmitted diseases, including the virus that causes AIDS, according to an article in the July 26 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Mary McFarlane, PhD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga., and colleagues conducted a survey to determine if use of the Internet to solicit sex partners should be considered a potential risk factor for STD/HIV. They surveyed 856 people who sought HIV testing at the Denver Public Health HIV Consulting and Testing Site in Colorado. Seventy-eight percent of the clients were white, 69 percent were men, 65 percent were heterosexual, and 84 percent were between 20 and 50 years old.

The authors found that among this group, seeking sex partners via the Internet was a relatively common practice. Responses to Internet usage questionnaires showed: "135 (15.8 percent) of clients reporting that they have logged on to the Internet to seek sex partners, and 88 (65.2 percent) of these having successfully initiated sexual contact; 34 (38.7 percent) of those who had sex with Internet partners had met more than three partners using the Internet," they write.

The researchers compared online sex seekers with those who did not seek sex on the Internet. "Online seekers were more likely to have had a previous STD than offline clients, thus increasing their risk of acquiring future STDs or HIV," they write. "Online seekers had greater numbers of partners than offline clients but were more likely to have used a condom during their last sex act."

While 28.9 percent of online sex seekers reported exposure to someone known to be HIV-positive, only 14.3 percent of those who did not seek sex on the Internet reported such exposure.

While pointing out that the study sample was not representative of the population of Denver or the United States as a whole, the researchers conclude that among this group of people, the Internet clearly has had a role in the solicitation of risky sex partners.

"Thus, seeking sex on the Internet may be a potential risk factor for STD/HIV," they write. "These data underscore the need for development of strategies to promote STD/HIV prevention among online seekers."

Media Advisory: To contact Mary McFarlane, PhD, call Kitty Bina at (404)639-8890.

(JAMA. 2000; 284:443-446)

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