Table 2.
STI-related health care, coverage of hepatitis A/B vaccination, screening for STIs, diagnosed STIs, and partner notification in two sub-samples of MSM in Germany: n (%); results for lifetime and the previous 12 months
| Last HIV test negative or not tested for HIV n = 3,511 |
HIV-positive n = 874 |
OR (95%-CI)/p | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STI-related health care | |||||
| Preferred STI care provider | <0.001 (χ2) | ||||
| General Practitioner | 1,637 (46.6) | 448 (51.3) | |||
| Dermatologist | 590 (16.8) | 243 (27.8) | |||
| Urologist | 808 (23.0) | 118 (13.5) | |||
| Public Health office | 475 (13.5) | 55 (6.3) | |||
| Low threshold testing* | 2,806 (79.9) | 527 (60.3) | 0.38 (0.33-0.45) | ||
| Would prefer a gay physician | 2,529 (72.0) | 614 (70.3) | 0.92 (0.78-1.08) | ||
| Communication barriers** | 1,589 (45.3) | 180(20.6) | 0.31 (0.26-0.37) | ||
| Last 12 m. | Lifetime | Last 12 m. | Lifetime | ||
| Medical consultation for STIs | 757 (21.6) | 433 (49.5) | 3.57 (3.06-4.17) | ||
| 1,327 (37.8) | 597 (68.3) | 3.55 (3.03-4.15) | |||
| No medical consultation*** | 190 (5.4) | 28 (3.2) | 0.58 (0.39-0.87) | ||
| Hepatitis A vaccination | 1,932 (55.0) | 566 (64.8) | 1.50 (1.23-1.75) | ||
| Hepatitis B vaccination | 2,045 (58.8) | 577 (66.0) | 1.39 (1.19-1.63) | ||
| Self-reported testing/screening§ | |||||
| Last 12 m. | Lifetime | Last 12 m. | Lifetime | ||
| HIV | 888 (25.3)§§ | 2,367 (67.4) | 183 (20.9)§§ | n.a. | n.a. |
| HCV | 787 (22.4) | 437 (50.0) | 3.46 (2.97-4.04) | ||
| 1,223 (34.8) | 577 (66.0) | 3.64 (3.11-4.25) | |||
| Chlamydia | 264 (7.5) | 220 (25.2) | 4.14 (3.40-5.04) | ||
| 415 (11.8) | 300 (34.4) | 3.90 (3.28-4.64) | |||
| Syphilis | 556 (15.8) | 472 (54.0) | 6.24 (5.31-7.33) | ||
| 799 (22.8) | 584 (66.8) | 6.84 (5.82-8.03) | |||
| Gonorrhoea (rectal) | 240 (6.8) | 177 (20.3) | 3.46 (2.90-4.27) | ||
| 352 (10.0) | 248 (28.4) | 3.56 (2.96-4.27) | |||
| Gonorrhoea (pharyngeal) | 232 (6.6) | 159 (18.2) | 3.14 (2.53-3.91) | ||
| 330 (9.4) | 223 (25.5) | 3.30 (2.73-3.99) | |||
| Any of the above (not HIV) | 992 (28.3) | 572 (65.4) | 4.81 (4.11-5.63) | ||
| 1,522 (43.3) | 713 (81.6) | 5.79 (4.82-6.95) | |||
| Self-reported diagnoses | |||||
| Last 12 m. | Lifetime | Last 12 m. | Lifetime | ||
| HCV | 13 (0.4) | 38 (4.3) | 12.23 (6.49-23.06) | ||
| 29 (0.8) | 77 (8.8) | 11.60 (7.52-17.90) | |||
| Chlamydia | 66 (1.9) | 104 (11.9) | 7.05 (5.13-9.69) | ||
| 199 (5.7) | 233 (26.7) | 6.05 (4.92-7.44) | |||
| Syphilis | 84 (2.4) | 138 (15.8) | 7.65 (5.77-10.15) | ||
| 232 (6.6) | 366 (41.9) | 10.18 (8.43-12.30) | |||
| Gonorrhoea (urethral) | 105 (3.0) | 117 (13.4) | 5.01 (3.81-6.60) | ||
| 459 (13.1) | 357 (40.8) | 4.59 (3.89-5.43) | |||
| Gonorrhoea (rectal) | 28 (0.8) | 39 (4.5) | 5.81 (3.56-9.50) | ||
| 66 (1.9( | 127 (14.5) | 8.87 (6.52-12.07) | |||
| Gonorrhoea (pharyngeal) | 12 (0.3) | 17 (1.9) | 5.78 (2.75-12.15) | ||
| 37 (1.1) | 39 (4.5) | 4.39 (2.78-6.92) | |||
| Any of the above (not HIV) | 249 (7.1) | 303 (34.7) | 6.95 (5.75-8.40) | ||
| 745 (21.2) | 616 (70.5) | 8.87 (7.51-10.47) | |||
| Of those: Informed partner(s) | 125 (50.2) | 152 (50.2) | 1.0 (0.71-1.39) | ||
*Low threshold testing: No general objection to testing campaigns in bars, discos, or saunas; **Communication barriers: Respondents who said the most important reason for not consulting a health care provider although suspecting to have acquired an STI was 'shame', or a feeling that talking about sex in general, or about sex with men, was not possible with their health care provider(s); *** No medical consultation: Proportion of respondents who said they did not consult a health care provider despite having symptoms or knowing that a sexual partner had an STI; § Self-reported testing/screening: Latest HIV antibody test; tested for STIs in the absence of specific symptoms? §§ Latest HIV test in 2005 or 2006 (i.e. within the previous 18 months); assuming that HIV-testing is equally spread over the year, this value was adjusted to 12 months