Implications for HIV Prevention Programs From a Serobehavioural Survey of Men Who Have Sex With Men in Vancouver, British Columbia: The ManCount Study

Background: We examined HIV prevalence, awareness of HIV serostatus and HIV risk behaviour among a sample of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vancouver. Methods: MSM ≥18 years were recruited from August 2008 to February 2009 through community venues. Participants completed a questionnaire and provided a dried blood spot (DBS) for HIV and other STI testing. We performed descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses of key explanatory variables. Results: A total of 1,169 participants completed questionnaires; of these, 1,138 (97.3%) provided DBS specimens suitable for testing. The median age was 33 years (IQR 26-44). A total of 206 (18%) were HIV-positive by DBS, of whom 86% were aware they were positive. HIV seropositivity increased from 7.1 % in those