Sexually Transmitted Infections Diagnosed Among Sexual and Gender Minority Communities During the First 11 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Midwest and Southern Cities in the United States.
Sex Transm Dis
; 49(10): 687-694, 2022 10 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2117483
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected sexual health services. Given the burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) on sexual and gender minorities (SGMs), we estimated incidence of self-reported STI diagnoses and factors associated with STI diagnoses among SGMs during the pandemic's first year.METHODS:
A cohort of 426 SGM persons, 25 years or older, recruited in Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Minneapolis, and Houston completed 5 online surveys from April 2020 to February 2021. Persons self-reported on each survey all health care provider STI diagnoses. Kaplan-Meier was used to estimate the cumulative risk of STI diagnoses, stratified by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status. Factors associated with STI diagnoses were assessed with a longitudinal negative binomial regression.RESULTS:
Median age was 37 years, and 27.0% were persons living with HIV (PLH). Participants reported 63 STIs for a cumulative incidence for PLH and HIV-negative persons of 0.19 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.13-0.29) and 0.12 (95% CI, 0.09-0.17), respectively. Regardless of HIV, a younger age and changes in health care use were associated with STI diagnoses. Among HIV-negative persons, the rate of STI diagnoses was higher in Houston than the Midwest cities (adjusted relative risk, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.08-5.20). Among PLH, a decrease in health care use was also associated with STI diagnoses (adjusted relative risk, 3.53; 95% CI, 1.01-12.32 vs no change in health care services), as was Hispanic ethnicity and using a dating app to meet a sex partner.CONCLUSIONS:
Factors associated with STI diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic generally reflected factors associated with STI incidence before the pandemic like geography, HIV, age, and ethnicity.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
/
HIV Infections
/
Sexual and Gender Minorities
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Sex Transm Dis
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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