Transactional Sex and the HIV Epidemic among Men Who have Sex with Men (MSM): Results from a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Engagement in transactional sex has been hypothesized to increase risk of HIV among MSM, however conflicting evidence exists. 

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing HIV prevalence among MSM who engaged in transactional sex to those who did not (33 studies in 17 countries; n = 78,112 MSM). 

Overall, transactional sex was associated with a significant elevation in HIV prevalence (OR 1.34, 95 % CI 1.11-1.62). Latin America (OR 2.28, 95 % CI 1.87-2.78) and Sub-Saharan Africa (OR 1.72, 95 % CI 1.02-2.91) were the only regions where this elevation was noted. 

Further research is needed to understand factors associated with sex work and subsequent HIV risk in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/FHhoKU

By: Oldenburg CE1, Perez-Brumer AG2, Reisner SL3,4, Mimiaga MJ3,4,5.

• 1Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. ceo242@mail.harvard.edu.
• 2Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
• 3Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
• 4The Fenway Institute, Fenway Community Health, Boston, MA, USA.
• 5Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv_insight