This study aimed to ascertain the attitudes of men who have sex with men (MSM) to the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and to determine the age at which MSM would be willing to ask for the HPV vaccine in relation to their age of sexual debut. Of 205 MSM attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre between December 2007 and January 2008, 200 (98%; median age 27 years) completed the study questionnaire. Only 30% were aware that there was a vaccine available for protection against infection with certain HPV types. When informed of the increased risk of anal cancer among MSM, 47% of MSM indicated that they would be willing to pay $A450 for the vaccine course. A total of 93% indicated that they would be willing to disclose that they were MSM to a health professional in order to obtain the vaccine for free, but not until a median age of 20 years: 2 years after the median age of sexual debut (18 years) and after a median of 15 sexual partners. If the HPV vaccine is targeted to MSM, the challenge will be for MSM to be vaccinated before they acquire HPV infection.
This study examined the views of 172 community-based Australian men who have sex with men (MSM) on the acceptability and potential uptake of rapid oral testing for HIV in clinic and home-based settings. Men were asked to complete a questionnaire that sought their views on rapid testing for HIV. When asked about which HIV test they would prefer in a clinic setting, 64% indicated a preference for rapid oral HIV testing and 74% indicated that if rapid oral HIV testing was available at a clinic they would test for HIV more frequently. If rapid oral HIV testing was available for home testing, 63% of men indicated it would be likely they would test themselves for HIV and 61% indicated they would test more frequently. Overall, MSM expressed a preference for rapid oral HIV testing and would test more frequently if testing was available for clinic or home use in Australia.
Loneliness is an important health issue facing older people due to its association with poor quality of life and poor health outcomes. This paper aimed to clarify key issues around loneliness among older adults and draw attention to innovative programs and the translation of emerging research into practice. Loneliness is a mismatch between a person's actual and desired social connections, experienced as negative emotions.Older adults are vulnerable to loneliness because of changes associated with ageing. As such, identifying as older is often seen as a burden, negatively impacting self-esteem, sense of purpose and relevance, culminating in loneliness. Interventions combatting loneliness can target individuals, relationships, communities or societies. We advocate for an intersectoral approach to support healthy ageing and reduce loneliness. This will require further research to evaluate new approaches with loneliness as the primary outcome, and additional funding to translate evidence into an integrated multi-level approach to addressing loneliness.
Most Australian men who have sex with men who underwent rapid testing for syphilis using the Determine Syphilis TP immunoassay indicated a preference for rapid testing over conventional serology. Most also indicated that they would test for syphilis more frequently if rapid syphilis testing was available in a clinic setting.
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