Study: Behaviors leading to HIV risk vary among gay men

Preliminary data from a new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, show that behaviors linked with risky sex and possible HIV infection vary greatly among gay and bisexual men. The study, published in the June edition of the American Journal of Public Health, shows that the two behaviors most likely to predict risky sexual behavior--recreational drug use and a preference for unprotected, receptive anal sex--accounted for just one third of the risky sex reported by the study's participants. The two thirds remaining were linked with a variety of behaviors and factors, including poor communication skills, having multiple partners, and alcohol use, suggesting that one-on-one counseling for at-risk gay men is needed to determine each person's specific HIV risk factors. The study is ongoing and final results should be available in 2004.