Men who have sex with men in small cities less likely to be tested for HIV.

Men who live outside major Canadian cities and have sex with other men are less likely to get an HIV test than their metropolitan counterparts, a UBCO study shows.

The study, conducted at UBC91裸聊视频檚 Okanagan campus, also shows that the lower testing rates are likely connected to internalized feelings of homophobia and a reluctance to disclose sexual preferences at a doctor91裸聊视频檚 office.

91裸聊视频淭his study shows that a lack of feeling accepted appears to not only pose mental health risks, it poses physical health risks,91裸聊视频� said Susan Holtzman, associate professor of psychology. 91裸聊视频淭he fact that these men are reluctant to tell their doctor about their sexuality is something that requires attention in our healthcare system if we hope to increase the number of people tested for HIV.91裸聊视频�

Holtzman91裸聊视频檚 study, conducted in cooperation with the Living Positive Resource Centre in Kelowna, surveyed 153 people recruited through online dating sites and events in the gay community.

The study found that 24 per cent of men living in smaller communities had never had an HIV test, compared to the 14 to 17 per cent of untested men living in large cities such as Vancouver and Toronto.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, men who have sex with men represented 53 per cent of total HIV infections in 2014, accounting for 39,630 people across the country.

Holtzman91裸聊视频檚 study was recently published in the journal AIDS Care.