The Annual American Men’s Internet Survey of Behaviors of Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States: 2015 Key Indicators Report

The American Men’s Internet Survey (AMIS) is an annual Web-based behavioral survey of men who have sex with men (MSM) living in the United States. This Rapid Surveillance Report describes the third cycle of data collection (September 2015 through April 2016; AMIS-2015). The key indicators are the same as previously reported for AMIS (December 2013-May 2014, AMIS-2013; November 2014-April 2015, AMIS-2014). The AMIS survey methodology has not substantively changed since AMIS-2014. MSM were recruited from a variety of websites using banner advertisements and email blasts. Additionally, participants from AMIS-2014 who agreed to be recontacted for future research were emailed a link to the AMIS-2015 survey. Men were eligible to participate if they were age 15 years and older, resided in the United States, provided a valid US ZIP code, and reported ever having sex with a man. We examined demographic and recruitment characteristics using multivariable regression modeling (P<.05) stratified by participants’ self-reported human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status. The AMIS-2015 round of data collection resulted in 10,217 completed surveys from MSM representing every US state and Puerto Rico. Participants were mainly non-Hispanic white, older than 40 years, living in the US South, living in urban areas, and recruited from general social networking websites. Self-reported HIV prevalence was 9.35% (955/10,217). Compared to HIV-negative/unknown status participants, HIV-positive participants were more likely to have had anal sex without a condom with any male partner in the past 12 months (75.50%, 721/955 vs 63.09%, 5843/9262, P<.001) and more likely to have had anal sex without a condom with a serodiscordant or unknown status partner (34.45%, 329/955 vs 17.07%, 1581/9262, P<.001). The reported use of marijuana and other illicit substances in the past 12 months was higher among HIV-positive participants than HIV-negative/unknown status participants (marijuana use: 24.61%, 235/955 vs 22.96%, 2127/9262; other illicit substance use: 28.59%, 273/955 vs 17.51%, 1622/9262, respectively; both P<.001). Most HIV-negative/unknown status participants (79.11%, 7327/9262) reported ever having a previous HIV test, and 55.69% (5158/9262) reported HIV testing in the past 12 months. HIV-positive participants were more likely to report sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and diagnosis compared to HIV-negative/unknown status participants (STI testing: 71.73%, 685/955 vs 38.52%, 3568/9262; STI diagnosis: 25.65%, 245/955 vs 8.12%, 752/9262, respectively; both P<.001).


Landing page
Join over 10,000 men in the U.S. by taking our annual sexual health survey! "Sex is the Question" collects information to help researchers better understand patterns of behavior -both sexual and health promoting -among men and to help ensure prevention resources have the greatest impact for the community. Click or tap the arrow or "Next" button below to be a part of this national effort!

Eligibility Screener
How old are you?*

Assent
Thank you for your interest in our survey. Please note: 1. Your answers are confidential: we don't have any information about who you are beyond the questions you answer.
2. This survey includes some personal questions. You can choose to not answer any questions that make you feel uncomfortable.
3. If you agree to be in this study, you will first be screened to see if you qualify to be in the study. If you qualify, you will be given the opportunity to complete the survey.
If you have any questions or comments you may contact the research staff at sexisthequestion@emory.edu.
Please read the information below about the study, and indicate whether you agree to participate in the study. * ( ) I have read the information below. I agree to participate in this study. In the past month: Did you double up or stay overnight with friends, relatives, or someone you didn't know well because you didn't have a regular, adequate, and safe place to stay at night?

Sexual Behavior with Male Partners in the Past 12 Months
The next questions are about having sex with men. For these questions, "having sex" means oral or anal sex. Oral sex means he put his mouth on your penis or you put your mouth on his penis. Anal sex means you put your penis in his anus (butt) or he put his penis in your anus (butt).
How old were you the first time you had oral sex (mouth on the penis) with a man? In the past 12 months, with how many of these [question("value"), id="487"] male anal sex partners did you have anal sex without using a condom?

_________________________________________________
In the past 12 months, with how many of these [question("value"), id="387"] male anal sex partners did you have anal sex without using a condom?

Sexual Behavior: Male Sex Partners (1 Partner)
In the past 12 months, this male partner was a: In the past 12 months, did you have anal sex without using a condom with a man whose HIV status you did not know?

Partnership agreements for main partners
You indicated earlier that one or more of your male sexual partners was a main partner, someone you felt committed to above anyone else. The next set of questions are about your relationship with this person. If you have or had more than one main partner in the past 12 months, the questions are about the main partner you most recently had sex with.
To make the questions easier to ask, we'd like you to enter in this partner's initials or a nickname that is not his real name. If you prefer to leave his initials blank, we will refer to him as "your main partner".
What are the initials of or a nickname for your most recent male main partner?
_________________________________________________  The next questions are about drugs that you may have used but did not inject.
In the past 12 months, have you used any non-injection drugs (drugs you did not inject), other than those prescribed for you.     How likely is it that you will get an HIV test within the next 3-6 months?

Acute Infection
Do you think that after a person is infected with HIV, they can show symptoms within a month of being infected?

Experiences of Stigma
During the past 12 months, have any of the following things happened to you because someone knew or assumes you were attracted to men?  The next questions are about things you may have ever experienced because someone knew or assumed you have sex with men.

Yes
Some people, while they are growing up in their first 18 years of life, had a sexual experience with an adult or someone at least 5 years older than themselves. These experiences may have involved a relative, family friend, or stranger.
During the first 18 years of life, did an adult, relative, family friend, or stranger ever: Touch or fondle your body in a sexual way? While you were growing up in your first 18 years of life, how often did your father (or stepfather) or mother's boyfriend do any of these things to you mother (or stepmother):

Prevention Activities
In the past 12 months, have you gotten any free condoms, not counting those given to you by a friend, relative, or sex partner?

Condom Fit Questions -Randomization 1
How much protection do you think you get from HIV with using a condom for anal sex, versus not using a condom for anal sex?

________________________[__]_____________________________ 100
At what level of protection against HIV would you NOT be willing to use condoms?

Condom Fit Questions -Randomization 2
How often do you think condoms fail (slip or break) when used for anal sex?

________________________[__]_____________________________ 100
At what amount of condom failure (slip or break) would you NOT be willing to use condoms for anal sex?

Condom Fit Questions for all
Currently, there is no condom that is approved by the FDA for use during anal sex. If a condom was FDA-approved for anal sex, would you be more likely to use condoms every time you have anal sex?

( ) No
If a condom was labeled by the FDA as "more pleasurable," would you be more likely to use this condom for anal sex?

Future Contact
The PRISM Health team conducts many research projects at Emory University. Would you like to be contacted for potential participation in our future projects?

( ) No
Please provide the email address you would like for us to use to contact you for future studies.

Survey End
Thank you for taking our survey! Your response is very important to us! If you have any questions or comments, you may contact study staff at sexisthequestion@emory.edu.
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