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Background: Research in the UK has found that samples from community venues and clinics overestimated sexual risk among all MSM compared to population-based samples. There is little data on sexual risk among MSM in the US from population-based surveys and no data on temporal trends in sexual risk.
Objectives: To examine nationally representative data on MSM to determine if behaviors changed recently while syphilis increased among MSM.
Methods: We used weighted data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), a US national probability sample of females and males aged 15-44 years. NSFG was conducted in 2002 and 2006-08 with a male response rate of 78% (n=4,928) and 75% (n=6,139), respectively. We compared data on same-sex partners collected via audio computer assisted self-interviewing.
Results: In 2006-08, 5.2% of men reported having a male partner in their lifetime (n=357); this estimate did not differ from 2002 (6.0%, n=375, p=.23). Mean number of lifetime male partners did not differ across time (p=.51) or by race (p=.81). Of men who ever had a male partner, 41.3% had a male partner in the past year in 2006-08 similar to 46.5% in 2002 (p=.38). Over half of MSM had multiple partners in 2006-08 similar to 2002 (p=.22). Condom use did not differ across time. In 2002, 21.9% of MSM also had a female partner in the past year compared to only 11.2% in 2006-08 (p=.04). Among these MSM, condom use at last sex with a male or female partner significantly decreased to 22.3% in 2006-08 compared to 54.8% in 2002 (p<.01).
Conclusions: Sexual risk with male partners did not change among MSM; however, in 2006-08, fewer MSM had female partners and less condom use indicating changes in sexual networks.
Implications for Programs, Policy, and Research: It is important to assess national data with local data to monitor changes in sexual network patterns that facilitate disease transmission.