Table 1.
Unadjusted and RDS-II adjusted estimates of socio-demographic characteristics of the Engage-Montreal study participants, 2017–2018 (n = 1168)a
| Characteristic | Overall (n = 1168) |
HIV-negative/unknown (n = 968) |
HIV-positive (n = 200) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | RDS-II weighted % (95% CI) | n (%) | RDS-II weighted % (95% CI) | n (%) | RDS-II weighted % (95% CI) | |
| Age (mean) | 38 (SD 14) | 38 (36–39) | 36 (SD 13) | 36 (35–37) | 49 (SD 11) | 50 (48–52) |
| Gender: manb | 1101 (94%) | 92% (89–95%) | 912 (94.2%) | 92% (88–95%) | 189 (95%) | 93% (89–98%) |
| Sexual orientation: gayc | 1009 (86%) | 81% (77–85%) | 827 (85%) | 80% (75–84%) | 182 (91%) | 90% (81–98%) |
| Ethnicity | ||||||
| French Canadian | 605 (52%) | 44% (39–49%) | 477 (50%) | 43% (37–48%) | 128 (66%) | 57% (45–69%) |
| English Canadian | 111 (10%) | 10% (7–13%) | 89 (9%) | 9% (6–12%) | 22 (11%) | 17% (7–26%) |
| European | 156 (14%) | 15% (11–18%) | 142 (15%) | 16% (12–19%) | 14 (7%) | 8% (1–14%) |
| Other | 283 (25%) | 31% (26–36%) | 253 (26%) | 33% (27–38%) | 30 (16%) | 18% (10–27%) |
| Education: post-high school diploma or higher | 757 (65%) | 58% (53–63%) | 663 (69%) | 60% (55–65%) | 94 (47%) | 42% (30–53%) |
| Annual income: $30,000 CAD or more | 500 (43%) | 33% (29–38%) | 435 (45%) | 34% (29–38%) | 65 (33%) | 32% (21–43%) |
| Social time spent with gay/bi guys: 50% or more | 521 (46%) | 33% (28–38%) | 432 (46%) | 32% (27–37%) | 89 (46%) | 38% (27–48%) |
| HIV status: unknown | 105 (9%) | 13% (10–16%) | 105 (11%) | 15% (11–18%) | – | – |
| STBBI diagnosis in the past 12 months | 359 (31%) | 26% (21–31%) | 255 (26%) | 23% (18–28%) | 104 (52%) | 44% (32–56%) |
| Mean number of anal sex partners in the past 6 months | 7 (SD 15) | 5 (3–7) | 7 (SD 15) | 5 (3–7) | 10 (SD 16) | 6 (4–8) |
| HIV status of main partner | ||||||
| No main partner | 662 (57%) | 56% (51–61%) | 538 (56%) | 56% (50–61%) | 124 (62%) | 56% (44–68%) |
| Unknown/uncertain | 121 (10%) | 12% (8–15%) | 113 (12%) | 12% (9–16%) | 8 (4%) | 6% (0–15%) |
| HIV-negative | 328 (28%) | 28% (23–32%) | 287 (30%) | 29% (24–34%) | 41 (21%) | 22% (12–32%) |
| HIV-positive | 57 (5%) | 5% (3–7%) | 30 (3%) | 3% (1–5%) | 27 (14%) | 16% (9–24%) |
| Perceived risk of acquiring/transmitting HIV | 187 (17%) | 19% (15–23%) | 171 (18%) | 20% (16–25%) | 16 (9%) | 8% (2–15%) |
| HIV Optimism-Skepticism Scaled (mean) | 17 (SD 6) | 16 (16–17) | 16 (SD 5) | 16 (15–17) | 20 (SD 6) | 20 (18–22) |
| Currently have a health care provider | 786 (67%) | 60% (55–65%) | 599 (62%) | 54% (49–60%) | 187 (94%) | 95% (90–100%) |
| Perceived mental health in the past 6 months | ||||||
| Excellent/very good | 552 (49%) | 47% (42–53%) | 459 (48%) | 46% (40–52%) | 93 (48%) | 56% (44–68%) |
| Good | 332 (29%) | 28% (24–33%) | 278 (29%) | 30% (24–35%) | 54 (28%) | 19% (10–28%) |
| Fair/poor | 258 (23%) | 24% (20–29%) | 211 (22%) | 24% (19–29%) | 47 (24%) | 25% (14–37%) |
| Drug use: crack or cocaine in the past 6 months | 318 (27%) | 24% (20–29%) | 269 (28%) | 24% (20–28%) | 49 (25%) | 28% (18–39%) |
| Drug use: other drugs in the past 6 monthse | 538 (46%) | 36% (32–41%) | 429 (44%) | 35% (30–40%) | 109 (56%) | 43% (31–54%) |
| Alcohol misuse: AUDIT-C ≥ 4f | 685 (60%) | 55% (50–60%) | 605 (63%) | 57% (51–62%) | 90 (46%) | 42% (30–53%) |
RDS respondent driven sampling, CI confidence interval, SD standard deviation, STBBI sexually transmitted or blood borne infection, AUDIT-C alcohol use disorders identification test, consumption questions
aRDS-II weights are inverse probability of sampling weights that are proportional to participant network size
bGender was defined as man versus other. The other terms used to describe one’s gender included: transman, gender queer/gender non-conforming, and two-spirit
cSexual orientation was defined as gay versus other. The other terms used to describe one’s sexual orientation included: bisexual, straight, queer, questioning, asexual, pansexual and two-spirit
dThe HIV Treatment Optimism-Skepticism Scale [62] includes items related to the efficacy of antiretrovirals for both HIV treatment and reduced infectiousness. The scale ranges from 0 to 36, where higher scores indicate higher optimism in antiretroviral treatment. Scores were dichotomized at the optimal cut point for identifying alcohol dependence in men [64]: ≥ 4 vs. lower
eOther drugs included any of ecstasy, crystal methamphetamine, mephedrone, speed, poppers, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and ketamine
fAlcohol misuse was measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, consumption questions (AUDIT-C), a screening tool for alcohol abuse, dependence, or heavy drinking [63]. The AUDIT-C Scale ranges from 0 to 12, where higher scores indicate higher risk of alcohol affecting one’s health and safety