Time for change: Transitions between HIV risk levels and determinants of behavior change in men who have sex with men.

As individual sexual behavior is variable over time, the timing of interventions might be vital to reducing HIV transmission. We aimed to investigate transitions between HIV risk levels among men who have sex with men (MSM), and identify determinants associated with behavior change. Participants in...

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Main Authors: Maartje G J Basten, Daphne A van Wees, Amy Matser, Anders Boyd, Ganna Rozhnova, Chantal den Daas, Mirjam E E Kretzschmar, Janneke C M Heijne
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0259913&type=printable
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author Maartje G J Basten
Daphne A van Wees
Amy Matser
Anders Boyd
Ganna Rozhnova
Chantal den Daas
Mirjam E E Kretzschmar
Janneke C M Heijne
author_facet Maartje G J Basten
Daphne A van Wees
Amy Matser
Anders Boyd
Ganna Rozhnova
Chantal den Daas
Mirjam E E Kretzschmar
Janneke C M Heijne
author_sort Maartje G J Basten
collection DOAJ
description As individual sexual behavior is variable over time, the timing of interventions might be vital to reducing HIV transmission. We aimed to investigate transitions between HIV risk levels among men who have sex with men (MSM), and identify determinants associated with behavior change. Participants in a longitudinal cohort study among HIV-negative MSM (Amsterdam Cohort Studies) completed questionnaires about their sexual behavior during biannual visits (2008-2017). Visits were assigned to different HIV risk levels, based on latent classes of behavior. We modelled transitions between risk levels, and identified determinants associated with these transitions at the visit preceding the transition using multi-state Markov models. Based on 7,865 visits of 767 participants, we classified three risk levels: low (73% of visits), medium (22%), and high risk (5%). For MSM at low risk, the six-month probability of increasing risk was 0.11. For MSM at medium risk, the probability of increasing to high risk was 0.08, while the probability of decreasing to low risk was 0.33. For MSM at high risk, the probability of decreasing risk was 0.43. Chemsex, erection stimulants and poppers, high HIV risk perception, and recent STI diagnosis were associated with increased risk at the next visit. High HIV risk perception and young age were associated with decreasing risk. Although the majority of MSM showed no behavior change, a considerable proportion increased HIV risk. Determinants associated with behavior change may help to identify MSM who are likely to increase risk in the near future and target interventions at these individuals, thereby reducing HIV transmission.
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spelling doaj-art-a45e4cc357f64bf8b8f6107d95b6bc702025-08-20T02:46:25ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-011612e025991310.1371/journal.pone.0259913Time for change: Transitions between HIV risk levels and determinants of behavior change in men who have sex with men.Maartje G J BastenDaphne A van WeesAmy MatserAnders BoydGanna RozhnovaChantal den DaasMirjam E E KretzschmarJanneke C M HeijneAs individual sexual behavior is variable over time, the timing of interventions might be vital to reducing HIV transmission. We aimed to investigate transitions between HIV risk levels among men who have sex with men (MSM), and identify determinants associated with behavior change. Participants in a longitudinal cohort study among HIV-negative MSM (Amsterdam Cohort Studies) completed questionnaires about their sexual behavior during biannual visits (2008-2017). Visits were assigned to different HIV risk levels, based on latent classes of behavior. We modelled transitions between risk levels, and identified determinants associated with these transitions at the visit preceding the transition using multi-state Markov models. Based on 7,865 visits of 767 participants, we classified three risk levels: low (73% of visits), medium (22%), and high risk (5%). For MSM at low risk, the six-month probability of increasing risk was 0.11. For MSM at medium risk, the probability of increasing to high risk was 0.08, while the probability of decreasing to low risk was 0.33. For MSM at high risk, the probability of decreasing risk was 0.43. Chemsex, erection stimulants and poppers, high HIV risk perception, and recent STI diagnosis were associated with increased risk at the next visit. High HIV risk perception and young age were associated with decreasing risk. Although the majority of MSM showed no behavior change, a considerable proportion increased HIV risk. Determinants associated with behavior change may help to identify MSM who are likely to increase risk in the near future and target interventions at these individuals, thereby reducing HIV transmission.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0259913&type=printable
spellingShingle Maartje G J Basten
Daphne A van Wees
Amy Matser
Anders Boyd
Ganna Rozhnova
Chantal den Daas
Mirjam E E Kretzschmar
Janneke C M Heijne
Time for change: Transitions between HIV risk levels and determinants of behavior change in men who have sex with men.
PLoS ONE
title Time for change: Transitions between HIV risk levels and determinants of behavior change in men who have sex with men.
title_full Time for change: Transitions between HIV risk levels and determinants of behavior change in men who have sex with men.
title_fullStr Time for change: Transitions between HIV risk levels and determinants of behavior change in men who have sex with men.
title_full_unstemmed Time for change: Transitions between HIV risk levels and determinants of behavior change in men who have sex with men.
title_short Time for change: Transitions between HIV risk levels and determinants of behavior change in men who have sex with men.
title_sort time for change transitions between hiv risk levels and determinants of behavior change in men who have sex with men
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0259913&type=printable
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