HIV and STI testing among East and Southeast Asian men who have sex with men in Toronto.

This study explored the patterns of HIV and STI testing, and factors associated with HIV testing in a convenience sample of 222 East and Southeast Asian men in Toronto recruited through a gay bathhouse and a gay website. Approximately 75% of the respondents had sex with a casual partner in the previous six months (with an average of 16.7 partners). Over 25% of the respondents did not know their current HIV status and 19.8% of the total sample reported at least one incident of unprotected anal sex with a casual partner in the past six months. Half of those who had not previously been tested for HIV or STIs cited "I am at low risk for HIV and STI and don't need to be tested" as the main reason for not testing. Factors such as STI testing, history of seeking sex via bathhouses and the internet, having a casual partner or partners, and having higher numbers of casual partners in the past six months, were found to be associated with HIV testing. HIV prevention strategies need to continue to promote regular testing for HIV and STIs among Asian MSM. To increase testing, prevention efforts need to be focused on developing culturally and linguistically appropriate testing strategies that directly target altering risk perception and continue to emphasize the benefit of early testing. Testing strategies should aim to increase awareness of and access totesting and offer different methods of testing (such as finger prick HIV tests). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]