Knowledge of safe sex behaviors and related factors among male gay students in Hanoi in 2023

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 gay male (MSM) students in Hanoi from August to October 2023. The objectives of this study were to describe the knowledge of safe sex behavior of MSM students and identity related factors. The results of the study indicated the average score of participants’ knowledge of safe sexual behavior is 80.33 ± 27.28. There were some behaviors that had low scores and were likely to lead to the risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as: agree to use condoms when having sex (3.27/4), having oral sex while using a protection (2.64/4). Specially, the average score of students who agreed to use gloves for foreplay when their hands were injured was very low (1.43/4). The study failed to identify related factors to the knowledge of safe sex behavior of gay students. Research results showed that knowledge about sexual behavior in MSM students was good however there was a gap in the knowledge in some aspects that can lead to the risk of getting STDs. As such, there is a need to adress this gap in this population by enhancing health promotion.