Acceptability of public health information and prevention measures by gay men, bisexual men and men who have sex with men during the French Mpox outbreak in 2022: the ANRS-MPX-SHS cross-sectional survey
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the acceptability by gay men, bisexual men and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) of French public health information and prevention measures implemented during the 2022 Mpox outbreak. METHODS: ANRS-MPX-SHS "Mpox: perception of risks, health measures and vaccination" is a cross-sectional survey conducted in GBMSM between July and September 2022. Online questionnaires collected information about Mpox-related awareness, perceptions and prevention behaviours. Multiple correspondence analysis identified participant profiles according to their level of acceptability of the information and prevention measures implemented during the 2022 outbreak. The study outcome was a variable grouping participants into three profiles: 'strong endorsers', 'uninformed hesitant endorsers' and 'indifferent objectors'. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate factors associated with each profile. RESULTS: Of the 5688 participants, 5320 (93.5%) had available data for the outcome. The latter were mostly cisgender men (98%), aged between 35 and 54 years (54.5%), with tertiary education (82%); 44% were living in the Greater Paris region. Strong endorsers, uninformed hesitant endorsers and indifferent objectors accounted for 77.8%, 14.4% and 7.8% of the sample, respectively. Participants with tertiary education, those who had sex exclusively with men, those taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (ie, HIV-negative participants), HIV-positive participants and individuals living in the Greater Paris region, were all less likely to be uninformed hesitant endorsers or indifferent objectors. Participants with no lifetime HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening and those with infrequent screening were, respectively, more likely to belong to these two profiles. CONCLUSIONS: Participants' acceptability of the information and prevention measures implemented during the 2022 Mpox outbreak in France depended on the perceived capability of public health authorities to effectively diversify information targets, representations and communication channels. In order to prevent the transmission of Mpox (and other STIs) in the general population in future outbreaks, information and measures adopted must take into account the needs, perceptions and experiences of persons never or not regularly screened for HIV/STIs.
Source: Sexually Transmitted Infections
Authors: Luis Sagaon-Teyssier, Maxime Hoyer, Marie Dos Santos, Marion Mora, Michel Bourrelly, Christel Protière, Gwenaëlle Maradan, Pierre Verger, David Michels, Manuela Salcedo, Annie Velter, Mathilde Certoux, Patrick Peretti-Watel, Phuoc-Bao-Viet Tong, Vivien Lugaz, Vincent Leclercq, Lambert Assoumou, Martin Siguier, Gilles Pialoux, Jean-Michel Molina, Perrine Roux, Bruno Spire, Gabriel Girard
Institutions: Inserm, Aix-Marseille Université, Economic & Social Sciences, Health Systems & Medical Informatics, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Unité des Virus Emergents, Santé Publique France, Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le Sida et les Hépatites Virales, Sorbonne Université, Institut Pierre Louis d‘Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Hôpital Tenon, Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Lariboisière, Hôpital Saint-Louis
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4409573307