Gay men who use “hook-up apps,” such as Grindr or Scruff, are more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases than if they met their partner in a bar or club.
Matthew Beymer from the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, Los Angeles conducted the study, where he included about 7,200 local gay and “bi-curious” men. They tested them for STDs and included how they found their sexual partners.
The study results showed 34 percent of the men said they only meet prospective partners in clubs or bars; 30 percent said they use a combination of personal encounters and online dating; and 36 percent use only some online means of meeting (i.e. smartphone apps). The research also showed men using these apps to find sex are 35 percent more likely to be infected with chlamydia, while 23 percent are more likely to be infected with gonorrhea.
“Technology is redefining sex on demand,” the researchers wrote. “Prevention programs must learn how to effectively exploit the same technology, and keep pace with changing contemporary risk factors for [sexually transmitted infections] and HIV transmission.”
In the new study, about a third (34 percent) of the Los Angeles men said they only met prospective partners in person at a bar or club, for example. Another 30 percent said they used a combination of person-to-person or online dating, while 36 percent used only smartphone apps or the apps plus other methods.
Grindr alone had 6 million users in 192 worldwide by 2013, which is one of the original “hook-up” apps for gay men since 2009.
