Rates of condom use at a gay or bisexual man's first experience of anal sex has increased substantially over the last three decades, according to newly released data from the biannual Gay Auckland Periodic Sex Survey (GAPSS).

The GAPSS survey is a joint project between the New Zealand AIDS Foundation Research Unit and the University of Otago.

"These results confirm that in the 1980s gay and bisexual men collectively launched one of the most successful public health responses in New Zealand history, which has been maintained throughout the 1990s and early 2000s," says Tony Hughes, NZAF Research Director. "It's a result that everyone should be proud of."

The research also found that gay and bisexual men who reported using condoms for their first experience of anal sex were far more likely to be still using condoms now. Early adopters of condoms were also less likely to report a recent or lifetime history of STIs.

"Given the sharp increase in HIV and other STIs within the last five years, this is good news," Hughes says.

"The evidence clearly shows the protective effect condoms have if used consistently over time, and suggests that early condom use may be habit forming."

Over half of the men sampled in the research had their first experience of anal sex after 1996, the date when new treatments for HIV arrived which reduced deaths from AIDS. Results showed that condom use at first anal sex also reached a high plateau from this point.

"The challenge now for gay and bisexual men's communities will be maintaining a supportive environment around condom use in this new era of treatments for HIV," Hughes concludes.

A PDF graph to suppliment this story is on the link below.