[via Massey News of Massey University - New Zealand ]
Researchers want to find out why gay and bisexual men tend not to use condoms for sex despite the trebling of new HIV cases in New Zealand in the past seven years.
They want 58 men from the Auckland region who have sex with men to take part anonymously in on-line discussions and individual interviews.
The study is a collaboration between researchers from Massey’s Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation (SHORE), the Maori health research group, Te Ropu Whariki and the School of Health Sciences at the University’s Auckland campus.
In addition to men who openly identify as gay, lead researcher Jeff Adams says the team is looking for other men who have sex with men to take part.
“The key thing here is we are particularly interested in speaking with men who don’t like, or don’t use, condoms for anal sex with other men. We’d like to discuss why condoms aren’t working for them, and what alternative strategies or methods they may use for protecting themselves against HIV.”
The data compiled by the Massey University research team will be used by the Aids Foundation to develop a further understanding of the context around the burgeoning HIV epidemic among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, which has been steadily growing since 2001.
Figures released by the Aids Epidemiology Group in March showed that of 89 of people diagnosed with HIV in New Zealand last year, 70 were gay or bisexual men.
HIV diagnoses have increased markedly in recent years. In 2000 there were 31 cases, 38 in 2001, 53 in 2002, 74 in 2003, 75 in 2004 and 90 in 2005. The increase is concentrated among gay pakeha men in Auckland, aged between 30 and 39.
Any man who has sex with other men who would like to take part or who want further information should contact the research team on 0800 MSM Talk. msm@massey.ac.nz or go to www.shore.ac.nz/msm.html
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