* This presentation was originally recorded in English. Closed captioning is available in both English and French.
Engage-COVID-19 is an ongoing mixed-method study collecting psychosocial and biobehavioural data to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on gay, bisexual, queer, and other men who have sex with men (GBQM) living in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Beginning in September 2020, participants completed COVID-19 questionnaires. A first round of COVID-19 data was collected by May 2021 and a second round of data collection is ongoing. In the first round, participants were asked how their sexual activities during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the HIV and STI testing that is typically completed at study visits, participants also provided a blood sample to be tested for COVID-19 antibodies. Between November 2020 and February 2021, we also conducted 42 in-depth qualitative interviews with GBQM living in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal; a second round of qualitative interviews is ongoing. Our panel will be organized around five interrelated areas which draw upon both qualitative and quantitative data: (1) COVID-19 risk perceptions, testing and vaccination experiences, and impacts on racialized communities; (2) seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 immunity across cities; (3) mental health, substance use, and the impact of COVID-19 on work/finances; (4) healthcare service access, including HIV and STI testing and PrEP use, and (5) changes in sex and sexual partners due to COVID-19. Our findings signal the significant and multi-leveled impacts of COVID-19 for GBQM, including reduced in-person sexual activities for many participants, changes in PrEP use patterns, and negative impacts on mental health.
Participants
Daniel Grace (Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto), Milada Dvorakova (Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre), Jordan Sang (BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS), Cornel Grey (Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto), Ryan Tran (Asian Community AIDS Services). Moderator: Shayna Skakoon-Sparling (X University)
