ArticleSexually transmitted infections2020
Patterns of sexualised recreational drug use and its association with risk behaviours and sexual health outcomes in men who have sex with men in London, UK: a comparison of cross-sectional studies conducted in 2013 and 2016.
Article in Sexually transmitted infections, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Dual Burden of Hepatitis B and C Among Drug Users in Asia: The First Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Pooled it
- Patterns of Drug Use Across Social and Sexual Contexts in Spain: Insights From the European Web Survey on Drugs 2024.Archives of sexual behavior · 2026Article
- Chemsex-associated drug use amongst men and gender-diverse people having sex with men in the UK: Findings from an online community survey, 2024.International journal of STD & AIDS · 2026Article
- Age and Education Disparities in Internalized Homophobia, Social Avoidance, Depressive Symptoms, and Sexualized Drug Use Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in China: A Mediation Analysis.Archives of sexual behavior · 2026Article
- Attitudes of Men Who Have Sex With Men Toward HIV Functional Cure: Community-Based Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Identifying subgroups of Chinese men who have sex with men based on sexual behavior and drug use patterns using a clustering analysis approach.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Acute HIV-1 Infection: Paradigm and Singularity.Viruses · 2025Review
- Trajectories of Chemsex Engagement Across Time Among PrEP-Using Men Who Have Sex with Men: Results from the French ANRS-Prévenir Cohort.International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health · 2025Article
- Barriers and facilitators to addressing mental health needs among Asian, Black and Latin American men who have sex with men (MSM) in England and Wales: A qualitative study.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- Sexualized Drug Use and Chemsex among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Europe: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Reinfection Using a Behaviour-Based Risk Score among Men Who Have Sex with Men with HIV: Results from a Case-Control Diagnostic Validation Study.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Chemsex and incidence of sexually transmitted infections among Canadian pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users in the l'Actuel PrEP Cohort (2013-2020).Sexually transmitted infections · 2022Article
- Monkeypox outbreak in Madrid (Spain): Clinical and virological aspects.The Journal of infection · 2022Observational
- Exploring drivers of pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Malaysia.International journal of STD & AIDS · 2022Article
- Access to, usage and clinic outcomes of, online postal sexually transmitted infection services: a scoping review.Sexually transmitted infections · 2022Review
- Risk Behaviors Associated with Patterns of Sexualized Stimulant and Alcohol Use among Men Who Have Sex with Men: a Latent Class Analysis.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2022Article
- Increasing emergency department admissions for chemsex-related intoxications in Barcelona, Spain, among people living with HIV: an observational study from 2018 to 2020.BMC public health · 2022Observational
- Sexual behaviors, cannabis, alcohol and monkeypox infection.Frontiers in public health · 2022Review
- Sexualized drug use and specialist service experience among MSM attending urban and rural sexual health clinics in England and Scotland.International journal of STD & AIDS · 2021Article
- Disparity of human immunodeficiency virus incidence and drug resistance in college student, non-student youth and older men who have sex with men: a cross-sectional study from seven major cities of China.Chinese medical journal · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveLondon has one of the highest identified prevalence of chemsex (sexualised recreational drug use) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Europe. We examine MSM's patterns of chemsex and its association with HIV/STI risk behaviours, STI diagnoses and sexual healthcare-seeking behaviours, including if HIV testing behaviour met UK national guidelines (three monthly if engaging in chemsex).
methodsCross-sectional survey data from 2013 (n=905) and 2016 (n=739) were collected using anonymous, self-administered questionnaires from MSM recruited in commercial gay venues in London, UK. Descriptive and multivariable analyses, stratified by self-reported HIV status, were conducted. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) with 95% CIs were calculated.
resultsComparing the 2013 and 2016 surveys, chemsex prevalence in the past year remained stable, in both HIV-negative/unknown-status MSM (20.9% in 2013 vs 18.7% in 2016, p=0.301) and HIV-positive MSM (41.6% in 2013 vs 41.7% in 2016, p=0.992). Combined 2013-2016 data showed that compared with other MSM, those reporting chemsex were more likely to report HIV/STI risk behaviours, including condomless anal intercourse with serodifferent HIV-status partners (HIV-negative/unknown-status men: aPR 2.36, 95% CI 1.68 to 3.30; HIV-positive men: aPR 4.19, 95% CI 1.85 to 9.50), and STI diagnoses in the past year (HIV-negative/unknown-status men: aPR 2.10, 95% CI 1.64 to 2.69; HIV-positive men: aPR 2.56, 95% CI 1.57 to 4.20). 68.6% of HIV-negative/unknown-status men reporting chemsex attended sexual health clinics and 47.6% had tested for HIV more than once in the past year.
conclusionsChemsex in London MSM remained stable but high, particularly among HIV-positive men. Irrespective of HIV status, chemsex was associated with engagement in HIV/STI risk behaviours. Frequency of HIV testing in the past year among HIV-negative/unknown-status men was below national recommendations. Promoting combination prevention strategies, including three monthly HIV/STI testing, access to pre-exposure prophylaxis/antiretroviral treatment and behavioural interventions among MSM reporting chemsex, remains vital to address sexual health inequalities in MSM.
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