Table 1.
Socio-demographics, partner types, and sexual behaviours of sexual health service clients stratified by number of partners since start of the pandemic in BC
| Variable | Total N = 1196 |
0–1 partner N = 690 |
2+ partners N = 506 |
p-value | Unadjusted odds ratios [99% CI] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years: median [inter-quartile range] | 32 [27–41] | 32 [26–40] | 34 [28–41] | 0.019 | 1.01 [1.00, 1.03] |
| Gender identity | < 0.001 | ||||
| Man |
577/1194 (48%) |
274/690 (40%) | 303/504 (60%) | 2.26 [1.65, 3.10] | |
| Woman |
563/1194 (47%) |
378/690 (55%) | 185/504 (37%) | Reference | |
| Non-binary / gender-fluid / other |
54/1194 (5%) |
38/690 (6%) |
16/504 (3%) |
0.86 [0.37, 1.86] | |
| Sexual identity | < 0.001 | ||||
| Straight (heterosexual) |
625/1190 (53%) |
423/685 (62%) | 202/505 (40%) | Reference | |
| Sexual minority (e.g. gay, lesbian, homosexual, queer, pansexual) |
565/1190 (47%) |
262/685 (38%) | 303/505 (60%) | 2.42 [1.78, 3.31] | |
| Gender of sex partners prior to the pandemic | < 0.001 | ||||
| Men who have sex with women only |
258/1167 (22%) |
161/664 (24%) | 97/503 (19%) | Reference | |
| Men who have sex with men |
291/1167 (25%) |
94/664 (14%) | 197/503 (39%) | 3.48 [2.20, 5.56] | |
| Women who have sex with men only |
414/1167 (35%) |
291/664 (44%) | 123/503 (24%) | 0.70 [0.46, 1.08] | |
| Women who have sex with women |
124/1167 (11%) |
67/664 (10%) | 57/503 (11%) | 1.41 [0.80, 2.50] | |
| Other |
80/1167 (7%) |
51/664 (8%) |
29/503 (6%) |
0.94 [0.47, 1.86] | |
| Race/ethnicity | 0.489 | ||||
| Indigenous |
46/1183 (4%) |
25/682 (4%) | 21/501 (4%) | 1.11 [0.50, 2.42] | |
| Racialized minority, non-Indigenous |
289/1183 (24%) |
175/682 (26%) | 114/501 (23%) | 0.86 [0.60, 1.22] | |
| White |
848/1183 (72%) |
482/682 (71%) | 366/501 (73%) | Reference | |
| Greater than high school education (vs. less) | 1057/1189 (89%) | 617/684 (90%) | 440/505 (87%) | 0.115 | 0.74 [0.46, 1.19] |
| Relationship at start of COVID-19 pandemic | < 0.001 | ||||
| Single |
466/1190 (39%) |
232/686 (34%) | 234/504 (46%) | 7.60 [4.73, 12.66] | |
| In a monogamous relationship |
350/1190 (29%) |
309/686 (45%) |
41/504 (8%) |
Reference | |
| In an open relationship |
323/1190 (27%) |
123/686 (18%) |
200/504 (40%) |
12.25 [7.40, 21.00] | |
| Other |
51/1190 (4%) |
22/686 (3%) |
29/504 (6%) |
9.93 [4.31, 23.60] | |
| Description of sex partners | |||||
| Person(s) have sex with regularly (vs. not) |
832/1043 (80%) |
454/537 (85%) | 378/506 (75%) | < 0.001 | 0.54 [0.36, 0.81] |
| New sexual partner (vs. not) |
276/1043 (26%) |
65/537 (12%) |
211/506 (42%) |
< 0.001 | 5.19 [3.47, 7.93] |
| Casual partner/hook-up (vs. not) |
321/1043 (31%) |
51/537 (9%) |
270/506 (53%) |
< 0.001 | 10.90 [7.09, 17.25] |
| Lives with partner(s) (vs. not) |
322/1036 (31%) |
186/536 (35%) | 136/500 (27%) | 0.011 | 0.70 [0.50, 1.00] |
| Change in partner number | |||||
| No change both phases |
473/1135 (42%) |
353/633 (56%) | 120/502 (24%) | < 0.001 | 0.58 [0.39, 0.86] |
| Decreased in both phases |
366/1135 (32%) |
231/633 (36%) | 135/502 (27%) | Reference | |
| Increased in phase 1 |
57/1135 (5%) |
9/633 (1%) |
48/502 (10%) | 9.13 [3.71, 27.13] | |
| Increased in phase 2 |
239/1135 (21%) |
40/633 (6%) |
199/502 (40%) | 8.51 [5.11, 14.68] | |
| Change in interest in sex | |||||
| No change both phases |
415/1186 (35%) |
241/684 (35%) | 174/502 (35%) | 0.001 | 1.48 [0.93, 2.39] |
| Decreased in both phases |
189/1186 (16%) |
127/684 (19%) | 62/502 (12%) | Reference | |
| Increased in phase 1 |
255/1186 (22%) |
154/684 (23%) | 101/502 (20%) | 1.34 [0.80, 2.27] | |
| Increased in phase 2 |
327/1186 (28%) |
162/684 (24%) | 165/502 (33%) | 2.09 [1.28, 3.43] | |
| Change in opportunities to have sex | |||||
| No change both phases | 226/1162 (19%) | 161/664 (24%) | 65/498 (13%) | < 0.001 | 0.70 [0.44, 1.10] |
| Decreased in both phases | 414/1162 (36%) | 262/664 (39%) | 152/498 (31%) | Reference | |
| Increased in phase 1 | 133/1162 (11%) | 97/664 (15%) |
36/498 (7%) |
0.64 [0.36, 1.11] | |
| Increased in phase 2 | 389/1162 (33%) | 144/664 (22%) | 245/498 (49%) | 2.93 [2.02, 4.29] | |
| Change in use of dating/hook-up apps to meet other people in person | |||||
| No change both phases |
243/852 (29%) |
144/414 (35%) | 99/438 (23%) | < 0.001 | 0.91 [0.58, 1.41] |
| Decreased in both phases |
336/852 (39%) |
191/414 (46%) | 145/438 (33%) | Reference | |
| Increased in phase 1 |
96/852 (11%) |
32/414 (8%) |
64/438 (15%) | 2.63 [1.43, 5.01] | |
| Increased in phase 2 |
177/852 (21%) |
47/414 (11%) | 130/438 (30%) | 3.64 [2.18, 6.22] | |
| Feel ashamed if people knew about my sex life / others will judge me for having sex during the pandemic | < 0.001 | ||||
| Strongly agree / agree |
461/1190 (39%) |
192/687 (28%) | 269/503 (53%) | 2.96 [2.16, 4.08] | |
| Neither agree nor disagree / disagree / strongly disagree |
729/1190 (61%) |
495/687 (72%) | 234/503 (47%) | Reference | |
BOLD: 95% confidence interval excludes 1