Condom Use Among East and Southeast Asian Men Attending a Gay Bathhouse in Toronto‪.‬

Abstract: Prior research has shown that a large number of men who go to bathhouses engage in unprotected anal sex and have multiple sex partners. Relatively little is known about the behaviour and experiences of East and Southeast Asian men visiting bathhouses. The present study surveyed 101 men of East and Southeast Asian origin who attended a gay bathhouse in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The objective was to document their HIV-testing history, likelihood of condom use during anal sex with casual partners and to identify their reasons for using or not using condoms. Participants' HIV-testing history indicated that 15.8% had never been tested and 23.5% were last tested 2-4 years ago or more. About one quarter of the 86 men who had casual sex in the six months prior to the survey said they did not always use a condom. Forty-three percent of the men who had not used condoms for anal intercourse on one or more occasions indicated that "Sex partner looked healthy; should be OK" and "Got carried away in the excitement of the moment" as reasons why a condom was not used. HIV prevention efforts for this population need to address issues regarding accessibility of HIV testing and the provision of accurate and culturally relevant information about the importance of condom use. Introduction