Sexual activities in bathhouses in Los Angeles county: Implications for AIDS prevention education

Abstract

In July and August 1986, 807 men were interviewed as they left seven bathhouses in Los Angeles County. While at the bathhouse, sixty‐one percent reported participating in sexual activities usually associated with a low risk of HIV transmission, and ten percent reported participating in receptive and/or insertive anal intercourse without a condom, behavior associated with an increased risk of HIV transmission. A greater proportion of the latter group were under 30, Hispanic, had never attended college and earned less than $20,000 annually. They were also more likely to report having five or more male sexual partners in the past month. Similar proportions of both groups reported familiarity with information on AIDS distributed in the bathhouse (96% vs. 98%), and felt that this material played a major role in their understanding of AIDS prevention (46% vs. 50%). These data suggest that the majority of sexually active men attending bathhouses in Los Angeles County practice low risk sexual behaviors. However, an identified minority who are more likely to be young, less educated, and lower income were found to practice sexual behaviors which would place them at increased risk of HIV transmission. Consequently, AIDS educational interventions tailored for this high risk group are an immediate priority.