Background:  As HIV behavioral risk surveys and prevention activities for men who have sex with men (MSM) move online, more information about racial/ethnic differences in behavior among men responding to online surveys is needed to target prevention messages. This analysis compared sexual behavior between black and white MSM participating in online surveys.

Methods:  Data were combined from 2 existing online MSM surveys, one from October 2003 to March 2004, the other from November 2004 to March 2005. Participants were recruited through banner ads posted on a variety of gay-oriented Web sites. Detailed demographics and information on behavior in the last sexual encounter were collected. Analysis was limited to men from the United States or Canada who had ever had sex with a man. Bivariate analysis was conducted to explore differences between non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black survey respondents. Only differences significant at p ≤0.001 were reported because of the large sample size.

Results:  Of 13,002 MSM, 9462 were white and 517 were black. Black men, compared to white men, were younger (median age 33 years vs 39 years) and had lower income (57% vs 39% <$40,000 annually), but were equally likely to report being HIV⁺ (13%) and HIV testing ever (85%) or in the last 3 months (27%). Black men were more likely ever to have had sex with women (OR 1.64, 99.9%CI 1.18 to 2.28) and less likely to identify as gay/homosexual (61% vs 86%, OR 0.24, 99.9%CI 0.18 to 0.33). Regardless of race, men identifying as hetero- or bisexual were less likely to report ever HIV testing than gay-identified men (69%, 74%, and 88%, respectively). In the most recent sexual encounter occurring within the 3 months before the study, black and white men were equally likely to have used drugs before sex (22%) but black men were more likely to have had sex with a woman (OR 3.58, 99.9%CI 2.13 to 6.03). Of men who had sex with a man in their last encounter, black men were more likely to have had anal intercourse (OR 1.5, 99.9%CI 1.03 to 2.16), but less likely to have had unprotected anal intercourse (OR 0.58, 99.9%CI 0.36 to 0.91).

Conclusions:  In this sample of MSM recruited online, demographics and HIV-related risk behavior varied considerably by race/ethnicity, although self-reported HIV prevalence was similarly high (13%) for black and white MSM. These findings demonstrate the need for more research to better understand behavioral and cultural differences as they relate to HIV risk and to appropriately target HIV prevention messages online.