'I did not have sex outside of our bubble': changes in sexual practices and risk reduction strategies among sexual minority men in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, jurisdictions across the globe, including Canada, enacted containment measures that affected intimacy and sexual relations. This article examines how public health measures during COVID-19 impacted the sexual practices of sexual minority men- gay, bisexual, queer and other men who have sex with men-and how they adopted and modified guidelines to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We conducted 93 semi-structured interviews with men (n = 93) in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, between November 2020 to February 2021 (n = 42) and June to October 2021 (n = 51). Across jurisdictions, participants reported changes to sexual practices in response to public health measures and shifting pandemic contexts. Many men indicated that they applied their HIV/STI risk mitigation experiences and adapted COVID-19 prevention strategies to continue engaging in casual sexual behaviours and ensure sexual safety. 'Social bubbles' were changed to 'sex bubbles'. Masks were turned into 'safer' sex tools. 'Outdoor gathering' and 'physical distancing' were transformed into 'outdoor sex' and 'voyeuristic masturbation'. These strategies are examined in connection to the notion of 'reflexive mediation' to illustrate how sexual minority men are simultaneously self-responsibilising and resistant, self-monitoring and creative.

Increases in human papillomavirus vaccine coverage over 12 months among a community-recruited cohort of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Canada.

BACKGROUND: Starting in 2015/16, most Canadian provinces introduced publicly-funded human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) aged ≤ 26 years. We estimated 12-month changes in HPV vaccine coverage among community-recruited GBM from 2017 to 2021 and identified baseline factors associated with vaccine initiation (≥1 dose) or series completion (3 doses) among participants who were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated at baseline. METHODS: We recruited sexually-active GBM aged ≥ 16 years in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, Canada, from 02/2017 to 08/2019 and followed them over a median of 12 months (interquartile range = 12-13 months). We calculated the proportion who initiated vaccination (≥1 dose) or completed the series (3 doses) by 12-month follow-up. Analyses were stratified by city and age-eligibility for the publicly-funded programs at baseline (≤26 years or > 26 years). We used multivariable logistic regression to identify baseline factors associated with self-reported incident vaccine initiation or series completion. RESULTS: Among 165 unvaccinated participants aged ≤ 26 years at baseline, incident vaccine initiation (≥1 dose) during follow-up was 24.1% in Montreal, 33.3% in Toronto, and 38.9% in Vancouver. Among 1,059 unvaccinated participants aged > 26 years, incident vaccine initiation was 3.4%, 8.9%, and 10.9%, respectively. Higher education and trying to access pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV were associated with incident vaccination among those aged ≤ 26 years, while younger age, residing in Vancouver (vs. Montreal), being diagnosed with anogenital warts, having both government and private extended medical insurance, and being vaccinated against influenza were associated with incident vaccination among those aged > 26 years. CONCLUSIONS: We observed substantial gains in HPV vaccine coverage among young GBM within 5 + years of targeted program implementation, but gaps remain, particularly among older men who are ineligible for publicly-funded programs. Findings suggest the need for expanded public funding or insurance coverage for HPV vaccines.

Community-Based Prevalence Estimates of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infections Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men in Montréal, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Reported cases of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections are increasing among Canadian men. Estimates of community-based CT/NG prevalence are lacking among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM). METHODS: Respondent driven sampling was used to recruit GBM in Montréal, Canada between February 2017 and June 2018. Specimens provided from urogenital, rectal, and pharyngeal sites were analyzed using nucleic acid amplification test to detect CT/NG. Prevalence estimates of CT/NG, overall and by anatomical site were calculated. All estimates are respondent-driven sampling-adjusted. RESULTS: Among 1177 GBM, the prevalence of rectal, urogenital, pharyngeal and overall were respectively 2.4%, 0.4%, 0.4%, and 2.8% for CT infections, and 3.1%, 0.4%, 3.5%, and 5.6% for NG infections. If testing had been limited to the urogenital site, 80% and 94% of CT and NG infections, respectively, would have been missed. CONCLUSIONS: This community-based study among GBM shows that the CT prevalence was about half of that observed for NG. A large part of CT/NG infections involves only the extragenital sites, highlighting the need for systematic multisite screening regardless of symptoms. In the mist of the COVID-19 pandemic and the limited CT/NG screening capacity due to test kits shortage, it might be considered to prioritize rectal and pharyngeal CT/NG testing over urogenital testing in asymptomatic GBM.

Health psychology in the time of COVID-19.

Health Psychology has received numerous papers over the past several months on topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of them concern depression, anxiety, stress, or other forms of distress in the general population or in health care workers. We have received far fewer papers on COVID-related health behaviors and health communications-factors that have played central roles in the spread of the pandemic and that are major topics in health psychology. Our experience is consistent with the published scientific literature on the pandemic. A Medline search that we conducted in late September yielded over 23,000 English-language articles pertaining to COVID-19. Over 1,400 of them concerned topics that are within the scope of Health Psychology. As shown in Table 1, COVID-related mental disorders comprised the largest category. Many other studies concerned other forms of stress or emotional distress. At least 248 articles addressed the profound ethnic and racial disparities in COVID-19 infection and death rates and in access to health care that are accentuating longstanding health inequities; 22 (9%) of these articles addressed behavioral or psychosocial aspects of COVID-19 health disparities. Thus, the literature on the behavioral and psychosocial aspects of the pandemic has been dominated, so far at least, by research on stress or distress. Fewer reports have been published so far on critical COVID-related health behaviors, health communication, or health disparities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).