A new study found that gay men who use smartphone apps to meet other men for sexual encounters were 25 percent more at risk of testing positive for sexually transmitted diseases.
Researchers from the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center in Los Angeles, spearheaded by epidemiologist Matthew Beymer, asked 7,184 gay and bisexual men who visited their clinic for STD testing. The patients filled out a questionnaire related to their smartphone apps usage, social networking activities, and meetups.
Thirty-six percent of the respondent met their sexual partners through smartphone apps, 30 percent used Internet websites, and 34 percent were in-person meets. 25 percent of those who used smartphone apps tested positive for STDs.
Based on the participants' responses, 23 percent of those who used gay smartphone apps such as Grindr and Recon to meet other men were at risk of gonorrhea infection, while 35 percent were likely to have Chlamydia, as opposed to those who met up in bars, clubs, and other venues. The risk became higher - as much as 40 percent - for those who used websites such as Manhunt and Adam4Adam, Livescience reported.
Researchers believed that the possible reason for the higher risk was that gay and bisexual men were more likely to engage to unprotected sex with multiple people they met online.
"We want to make people aware of the risks and benefits with any new technology," Beymer said to Reuters. "We just want gay and bisexual men to love safely and love carefully."
The research clarified that none of the participants tested positive on other STDs such as HIV and syphilis. The area scope focused on the city only so the results may not apply to rural areas
"We don't necessarily want individuals to stop using these technologies," Beymer added. "We realize as public health professionals that meeting people will evolve with the technologies."
Details of the study were published in the June 12 issue of Sexually Transmitted Infections.
