SEXUAL HIV RISK BEHAVIOR AMONG MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH BOTH MEN AND WOMEN

The aim of this study was to describe the sexual behaviour of men who had sex: with both men and women in the preceding five years (behaviou rally bisexual men), specifically to examine their needs in relation t o HIV prevention. Anonymous telephone interviews were carried out with respondents recruited though advertisements in UK newspapers and maga zines with (sexual) 'personal' or 'contact' sections. Data are reporte d from 745 respondents. Respondents report relatively high and approxi mately equal numbers of male and female sexual partners in the year pr eceding interview. There is a clear patterning of sexual activity by t ype of partner (regular or casual). A high proportion report anal inte rcourse with female and male partners. A third disclose their homosexu al practices to regular female partners. Although self-reported HIV se roprevalence is low (less than 1%), the levels of unprotected sex with multiple sexual partners indicate substantial potential for transmiss ion of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV While low seropr evalence suggests that there is little overlap with existing core grou ps of HIV infection, the study provides information to judge the prior ity of targeting HIV prevention initiatives and suggests ways in which initiatives could be undertaken.