Gay and bisexual men rural outreach

Key take-home messages

• The internet has been to be an effective tool to reach populations that are geographically and/or socially isolated. Rural men who sex with men (MSM) typically have access to the internet and already use the internet to socialize, meet sexual partners, and access health information.
• Structural interventions in rural and suburban regions may increase opportunities for MSM to access sexual health services. These interventions could target gay community infrastructure, religious institutions, and funding allocation decisions.
• Behavioural interventions designed to promote changes in sexual behaviour, like increased condom use, decreased unprotected anal intercourse, and fewer sexual partners, have been widely used in urban settings and may be effective when translated to rural and suburban settings.
• Educational programs for providers of sexual health programs in rural and suburban regions may increase the capacity of service providers to serve this population effectively, and may increase the willingness of MSM in these areas to access sexual health resources.
• Gay and bisexual men in rural and suburban regions are not a homogenous population. All sexual health programming must consider the demographic makeup of the local population, including cultural, socioeconomic, age, and educational context.

• Population(s)
  • Men who have sex with men
• Prevention
  • Sexual risk behaviour
  • Education/media campaigns
• Health Systems
  • Delivery arrangements