Chemsex Engagement and HIV Biomedical Prevention in MSM

The Interrelationship Between Chemsex Engagement and HIV Biomedical Prevention in MSM

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT05031832

Enrollment

733

Registered

2021-09-02

Start date

2021-06-01

Completion date

2024-12-31

Last updated

2025-01-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Recreational Drug Use

Keywords

Chemsex engagement, Pre-exposure prophylaxis, Antiretroviral therapy, men who have sex with men

Brief summary

HIV biomedical prevention through treatment-as-prevention (TasP) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly efficacious for reducing HIV transmission risk. The benefits could be undermined by the rising HIV transmission risks in men who have sex with men (MSM) who engaged in chemsex. This project aims to assess the impacts of chemsex on the growth of the HIV epidemic by exploring the complex relationships between chemsex engagement and usage of HIV biomedical prevention in MSM in Hong Kong. Participants would be recruited from the community and clinics in 2 cross-sectional studies (500 HIV-negative and 500 HIV-positive MSM), for HIV self-testing and completing an electronic questionnaire. The association of chemsex would be examined between PrEP-naïve and PrEP experienced HIV-negative MSM, and between good and poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive subjects in case-control analyses using logistic regression and multilevel models. The main outcomes include coverage of biomedical prevention in MSM, and their drug use patterns.

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTHIV test

HIV test would be offered to self-reported HIV-negative / unknown HIV status MSM to confirm their HIV status

Study design

Observational model

ECOLOGIC_OR_COMMUNITY

Time perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

MALE

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* aged 18 or above * male * have had sex with men since 2019 * could be communicated in English or Chinese

Exclusion criteria

* failed to provide consent

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
pre-exposure prophylaxis coverage	6 months	proportion of HIV-negative MSM taking pre-exposure prophylaxis; based on self-reported data in questionnaire
Good antiretroviral therapy adherence	2 years	proportion of HIV-positive MSM with good antiretroviral therapy adherence; based on self-reported data (CD4 count, viral load level, history of stoppoing ART / missing doses) in questionnaire
Drug use pattern	6 months	types of drugs taken for chemsex engagement (taking before or during sex); based on self-reported data in questionnaire

Countries

Hong Kong

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026