CROI 2018 Abstract eBook

Abstract eBook

Poster Abstracts

1 British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2 Other Institution, Email institution information to CROIabstracts@iasusa.org Background: In the United States, young Black gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (YBMSM) bear the largest burden of HIV incidence. Within gay men’s sexual health literature, little is known about how economic dependence on a sexual partner influences sexual negotiation including positioning and sexual health outcomes. We aim to examine prevalence and correlates of economic dependence on a sexual partner stratified by HIV-status among YBMSM living in Jackson, Mississippi. Methods: Baseline data from 589 YBMSM (Mean age= 22) participating in a brief sex-positive HIV/STI prevention randomized control trial, was used to measure the association between six sexual behaviours including sexual positioning (e.g. bottom and/or top) and condomless anal (insertive, receptive, any) intercourse, three sexual health outcomes including STI acquisition (oral and genital), and economic dependence, stratified by HIV-status. Bivariate chi- square associations were tested and regression models adjusted for education level (≤highschool), and income ≤1,000USD/month (vs. >1,000USD/month). Results: Of YBMSM living with HIV 18.2% reported being economically dependent on their sexual partners compared to only 11.4% of YBMSM not living with HIV. In regressions, of the six behavioural sexual behaviours assessed economically dependent YBMSM living with HIV were more likely to have >3 sex partners as a bottom in the last 90 days (L90D) (aOR=2.56, 95%CI=1.14- 5.72), and YBMSM not living with HIV reporting economic dependence were more likely to report having anal sex >3 times as a bottom in L90D (aOR= 2.62, 95%CI=1.13-6.12). Economically dependent YBGBM living with HIV were 3.85 times more likely to be diagnosed with oral gonorrhoea, compared to non- dependent YBMSM living with HIV (95%CI=1.29-11.48). Conclusion: Economic dependence was found to be more common among YBMSM living with HIV compared to those not living with HIV. Thus, our findings highlight the need for interventions to consider how poverty, unemployment and economic dependence interact to influence relationship power imbalances, sexual positioning, and in turn sexual health outcomes for YBMSM living with and without HIV in contexts with high HIV incidence, such as Mississippi.

Poster Abstracts

914 RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN EGOCENTRIC NETWORK PROPERTIES AMONG GAY, BISEXUAL AND OTHER MSM Meagan Zarwell 1 , William T. Robinson 2 1 Medical College of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa, WI, USA, 2 Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA, USA Background: The alarming HIV burden among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) of color may be related to variations in network characteristics of the individual’s social and sexual network. This study investigates variations in egocentric network properties among Black, Latino, and other race (Non-White) and White MSM. Methods: During the New Orleans arm of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance in 2014, 258 Non-White (47%) and 295 White (53%) were recruited via venue-based sampling to complete a structured survey. Participants provided information on up to 10 people in their egocentric networks with whom they interacted in the past three months: five people who provided social support and five sex partners. Indicators for diversity were operationalized as the proportion of network members who were different than ego by age, race, gender or HIV status. Egocentric network properties and network diversity indicators were aggregated to the participant level as means or proportions. Associations between network measures and race were examined using PROC GLM. Results: Non-White participants were younger (p<.0001), reported lower education (p<.0001) and income levels (p<.0001), were more likely to identify as bisexual (p =0.001), and less likely to report condomless sex at last sexual intercourse (p=0.017). Significant variations in network properties were also found. White participants reported larger networks (p=0.008), had known network members longer (p=0.002), and were more likely to list last male partners as a social support connection (p=0.037). In addition, White participants reported more drug (p=0.005) and alcohol use (p<.0001) within networks. Non-White participants reported networks with fewer men (p=0.008) and younger members (p =0.010) than those of White MSM. Social group memberships also varied by race: White MSM reported larger proportions of network members who belonged to the leather (p=0.002), bear (p=0.0004), and radical faerie (p=0.003) communities. Significant network diversity indicators included age (p=0.002) and race (p<.0001), such that White MSM reported a greater proportion of network members of a different age but a lower proportion of network members of a different race. Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that network properties of MSM differ by race in New Orleans. This may be important to note when designing prevention interventions that prioritize MSM of color, especially those that capitalize on network strategies or peer–driven approaches. 915 ECONOMIC DEPENDENCE AND HIV RISK AMONG YOUNG, BLACK MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN Kalysha Closson 1 , Gbolahan Olarewaju 1 , Richard Crosby 2

916 WITHDRAWN

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