HIV prevalence varied widely between groups:
- White British and black African: 8-9%
- Black Caribbean and Caribbean mixed: 12%
- South Asian: 3-4% (none of the small group of Bangladeshis had HIV)
- East Europeans and Chinese 4%, Arabs 7%
- Latin Americans: 17%.
...
Sexual risk behaviour did not vary between the ethnic groups. Despite having the lowest rates of HIV, South Asians reported the highest rates of unsafe sex, with 15.5 episodes of actually or potentially serodiscordant unprotected sex over the previous three months compared with 14.5 in black men (all categories), 13.7 in white British and 11.2 in other groups, though these differences were not statistically significant.
Circumcision rates varied widely, with Eastern Europeans, Chinese, Indians and Caribbeans having circumcision rates similar to white British (17%) and other groups, not unexpectedly, having much higher rates. However HIV rates were identical between circumcised and uncircumcised men.
Yet more evidence that circumcision is irrelevant in rates of HIV infection among gay men ... . Moreover, the complexity deepens as we see risk behaviors compared between groups do not explain relative rates of infection.
The researcher, Jonathan Elford, said qualitative interviews "revealed ethnic minority gay men 'trying to reconcile a 21st century lifestyle with 1950s family values.' ” And what does this mean? Some groups had high rates of risk behavior and low infection rates. Others, the opposite. Choice of partner? Fewer incidence Limited types of sexual activity Who knows? It's uncertain.
The data was presented at a satellite conference on gay men and HIV held before the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. Poster presentations on the data were displayed at the main conference as well.
