{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T23:24:21Z","timestamp":1778541861895,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,17]],"date-time":"2022-11-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1668643200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Despite men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) from Latin America (LA) are still a vulnerable population for known health-related conditions and social problems, availability of comparable data across LA countries for assessment and monitoring purposes is limited. The objective of this article is to present the study design and the questionnaire of LAMIS-2018 (Latin America MSM Internet Survey), its recruitment strategy, rates and sources by country, and the lessons learned from its implementation. LAMIS-2018 was a cross-sectional, internet-based survey targeting MSM living in 18 LA countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela) that gathered data about sexual behaviors, HIV\/STI and viral hepatitis knowledge, prophylactic use of antiretrovirals, psychosocial health, and access to sexual health services. The survey went online for four months and was available in three languages (Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch). Promotion was carried out using dating apps, websites, social networks, and by community-based and academic organizations of each participating country directly in gay venues and in their own premises. Overall, 64,655 MSM participated in LAMIS-2018. Dating apps and websites were the most important recruitment source in most countries, except for Honduras, Nicaragua, and Suriname, where community-based organizations recruited most of the participants. Beyond the LAMIS-2018 implementation description, we highlight the feasibility of such a study in this context, based on the collaboration between community-based and academic organizations to obtain a large sample of MSM in the region. LAMIS-2018 data will contribute to identify determinants of risk behaviors and prevention needs of vulnerable MSM populations in each country of the region.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0277518","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,17]],"date-time":"2022-11-17T18:41:10Z","timestamp":1668710470000},"page":"e0277518","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Latin American Internet Survey for Men who have Sex with Men (LAMIS-2018): Design, methods and implementation"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Michael","family":"Reyes-D\u00edaz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Celly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Cinta","family":"Folch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5320-1493","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nicolas","family":"Lorente","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Valeria","family":"Stuardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Maria Amelia","family":"Veras","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Henrique","family":"Barros","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Paula","family":"Meireles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Dorian","family":"Ram\u00edrez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6607-1993","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kai J.","family":"Jonas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3143-2717","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ulrich","family":"Marcus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Axel J.","family":"Schmidt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Carlos F.","family":"Caceres","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Jordi","family":"Casabona","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,17]]},"reference":[{"issue":"27","key":"pone.0277518.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1097\/MD.0000000000011310","article-title":"Quality of life among men who have sex with men in China measured using the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey: A cross-sectional study","volume":"97","author":"W Zhang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Medicine"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0277518.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"207","DOI":"10.1258\/095646207780132442","article-title":"Health-related quality of life in homo- and bisexual men attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Sweden","volume":"18","author":"LE Eriksson","year":"2007","journal-title":"International Journal of STD & AIDS"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref003","article-title":"UNAIDS data 2021. Geneva","author":"Joint United Nations Programme on HIV \/ AIDS (UNAIDS)","year":"2021"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0277518.ref004","article-title":"The HIV epidemic in Latin America: accomplishments and challenges on treatment and prevention","volume":"14","author":"PM Luz","year":"2019","journal-title":"Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref005","article-title":"Sexually transmitted Disease Surveillance 2017: Men who have sex with men. Atlanta, Georgia","author":"Center for Disease control and Prevention","year":"2018"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0277518.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"990","DOI":"10.1158\/1055-9965.EPI-10-1160","article-title":"Human papillomavirus (HPV) 6, 11, 16, and 18 seroprevalence is associated with sexual practice and age: results from the multinational HPV Infection in Men Study (HIM Study)","volume":"20","author":"B Lu","year":"2011","journal-title":"Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0277518.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"789","DOI":"10.1007\/s00038-015-0708-5","article-title":"Hepatitis C in key populations in Latin America and the Caribbean: systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"60","author":"M Alonso","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int J Public Health"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcv.2019.05.014","article-title":"Hepatitis A outbreak affecting men who have sex with men (MSM) in central Argentina, occurred in July 2017-April 2018, later than the European outbreak","volume":"117","author":"J Mariojoules","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Clin Virol"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0277518.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.2807\/1560-7917.ES.2018.23.9.18-00060","article-title":"Hepatitis A outbreak since November 2016 affecting men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chile connected to the current outbreak in MSM in Europe, situation up to October 2017","volume":"23","author":"V Rivas","year":"2018","journal-title":"Euro Surveill"},{"issue":"Pt A","key":"pone.0277518.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"190","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2021.10.108","article-title":"Mental health conditions in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Asexual youth in Brazil: A call for action","volume":"298","author":"T Terra","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0277518.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"247","DOI":"10.1007\/s00127-020-01943-4","article-title":"Prevalence of 12-month mental and substance use disorders in sexual minority college students in Mexico","volume":"56","author":"R Renter\u00eda","year":"2021","journal-title":"Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0277518.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19031704","article-title":"High Rates of Sexualized Drug Use or Chemsex among Brazilian Transgender Women and Young Sexual and Gender Minorities","volume":"19","author":"EM Jalil","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0277518.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1869","DOI":"10.1007\/s10508-015-0488-2","article-title":"High prevalence of multiple syndemic conditions associated with sexual risk behavior and HIV infection among a large sample of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking men who have sex with men in Latin America","volume":"44","author":"MJ Mimiaga","year":"2015","journal-title":"Arch Sex Behav"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"50","DOI":"10.4067\/S0034-98872012000100007","article-title":"Situaci\u00f3n epidemiol\u00f3gica actual del VIH\/SIDA en Latinoam\u00e9rica en la primera d\u00e9cada del siglo XXI: An\u00e1lisis de las diferencias entre pa\u00edses","volume":"140","author":"I Teva","year":"2012","journal-title":"Revista m\u00e9dica de Chile"},{"issue":"Suppl 1","key":"pone.0277518.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e190003","DOI":"10.1590\/1980-549720190003.supl.1","article-title":"Discrimination based on sexual orientation against MSM in Brazil: a latent class analysis","volume":"22Suppl 1","author":"L Magno","year":"2019","journal-title":"Rev Bras Epidemiol"},{"issue":"23\u201324","key":"pone.0277518.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"Np12686","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260519898423","article-title":"Association Between Overt and Subtle Experiences of Discrimination and Violence and Mental Health in Homosexual and Bisexual Men in Mexico","volume":"36","author":"JC Mendoza-Perez","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Interpers Violence"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0277518.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"760","DOI":"10.1080\/00918369.2010.485880","article-title":"Discrimination and victimization: parade for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride, in Chile","volume":"57","author":"J Barrientos","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Homosex"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0277518.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"706","DOI":"10.1080\/17441692.2020.1856397","article-title":"Contesting everyday violence: Resilience pathways of gay and transgender youth in Peru","volume":"16","author":"EB Suarez","year":"2021","journal-title":"Glob Public Health"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"24814","DOI":"10.3402\/gha.v7.24814","article-title":"Is violence associated with increased risk behavior among MSM? Evidence from a population-based survey conducted across nine cities in Central America","volume":"7","author":"J Wheeler","year":"2014","journal-title":"Glob Health Action"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref020","volume-title":"HIV Prevention in the Spotlight: An analysis from the perspective of the health sector in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2017","author":"Pan American Health Organization and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV\/AIDS","year":"2017"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0277518.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1186\/s12914-019-0187-5","article-title":"Experiences of gender-based violence among female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and transgender women in Latin America and the Caribbean: a qualitative study to inform HIV programming","volume":"19","author":"E Evens","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMC International Health and Human Rights"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref022","article-title":"Discriminaci\u00f3n social y conducta sexual de hombres que tienen sexo con hombres en Am\u00e9rica Latina: Una revisi\u00f3n sistem\u00e1tica","author":"FJ Baez Hernandez","year":"2019","journal-title":"Cultura de los cuidados; N\u00fam 55DO\u20141014198\/cuid20195511"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"152","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2458-6-152","article-title":"Correlates of condom use in a sample of MSM in Ecuador","volume":"6","author":"JP Guti\u00e9rrez","year":"2006","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0277518.ref024","article-title":"[Factors associated with low knowledge on HIV\/AIDS among men who have sex with men in Brazil]","volume":"33","author":"Ceccato MdGB Gomes RRdFM","year":"2017","journal-title":"Cad Saude Publica [Internet]."},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0277518.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1193","DOI":"10.1080\/09540121.2019.1619665","article-title":"Factors associated with PrEP awareness according to age and willingness to use HIV prevention technologies: the 2017 online survey among MSM in Brazil()","volume":"31","author":"TS Torres","year":"2019","journal-title":"AIDS Care"},{"issue":"42","key":"pone.0277518.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e5147","DOI":"10.1097\/MD.0000000000005147","article-title":"Factors associated with previously undiagnosed human immunodeficiency virus infection in a population of men who have sex with men and male-to-female transgender women in Lima, Peru","volume":"95","author":"JD Billings","year":"2016","journal-title":"Medicine"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0277518.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"726","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-021-06455-3","article-title":"Low socioeconomic status is associated with self-reported HIV positive status among young MSM in Brazil and Peru","volume":"21","author":"TS Torres","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref028","volume-title":"Fast-tracking combination prevention","author":"Joint United Nations Programme on HIV\/AIDS","year":"2015"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0277518.ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1468","DOI":"10.1590\/S0102-311X2004000600004","article-title":"Intervenciones para la prevenci\u00f3n del VIH e ITS en Am\u00e9rica Latina y Caribe: una revisi\u00f3n de la experiencia regional","volume":"20","author":"CF C\u00e1ceres","year":"2004","journal-title":"Cad Saude Publica"},{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0277518.ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1110","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(21)00221-7","article-title":"Prevalence of syphilis among men who have sex with men: a global systematic review and meta-analysis from 2000\u201320","volume":"9","author":"M Tsuboi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Lancet Glob Health"},{"issue":"Suppl 1","key":"pone.0277518.ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S65","DOI":"10.21149\/spm.v55s1.5099","article-title":"Systematic review of HIV prevalence studies among key populations in Latin America and the Caribbean","volume":"55","author":"WM Miller","year":"2013","journal-title":"Salud Publica Mex"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0277518.ref032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.1007\/s11524-005-9008-3","article-title":"HIV behavioral research online","volume":"83","author":"MA Chiasson","year":"2006","journal-title":"J Urban Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0277518.ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"126","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijid.2007.06.007","article-title":"Web-based HIV\/AIDS behavioral surveillance among men who have sex with men: potential and challenges","volume":"12","author":"D Zhang","year":"2008","journal-title":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases"},{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0277518.ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1055","DOI":"10.1080\/09540121.2015.1017796","article-title":"Engagement in HIV care and sexual transmission risk behavior among men who have sex with men using online social\/sexual networking in Latin America","volume":"27","author":"JF Magidson","year":"2015","journal-title":"AIDS care"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0277518.ref035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e11","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.0040011","article-title":"Opportunities for providing web-based interventions to prevent sexually transmitted infections in Peru","volume":"4","author":"WH Curioso","year":"2007","journal-title":"PLoS Medicine"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0277518.ref036","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1675","DOI":"10.1007\/s10461-014-0844-6","article-title":"Epidemiology of sexual health in the virtual environment: a multinational online survey of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking men who use an internet sexual networking site","volume":"18","author":"KB Biello","year":"2014","journal-title":"AIDS Behav"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref037","volume-title":"Challenges Posed by the HIV Epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean 2009","author":"Pan American Health Organization","year":"2009"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref038","first-page":"1","article-title":"European Men-who-have-sex-with-men Internet Survey (EMIS-2017): design and methods","volume":"2019","author":"P Weatherburn","journal-title":"Sexuality Research and Social Policy"},{"key":"pone.0277518.ref039","first-page":"953123","article-title":"Access to Basic HIV-Related Services and PrEP Acceptability among Men Who Have sex with Men Worldwide: Barriers, Facilitators, and Implications for Combination Prevention","volume":"2013","author":"G Ayala","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Sex Transm Dis"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0277518.ref040","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e13771","DOI":"10.2196\/13771","article-title":"Factors Associated With Willingness to Use Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru: Web-Based Survey Among Men Who Have Sex With Men","volume":"5","author":"TS Torres","year":"2019","journal-title":"JMIR Public Health Surveill"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0277518.ref041","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"200","DOI":"10.1136\/sti.2006.023283","article-title":"Men who have sex with men in Great Britain: comparison of a self-selected internet sample with a national probability sample","volume":"83","author":"AR Evans","year":"2007","journal-title":"Sex Transm Infect"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0277518.ref042","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"238","DOI":"10.1089\/lgbt.2014.0129","article-title":"Comparing Samples of Men Who Have Sex with Men Recruited Online and in Venues, Jiangsu Province, China, 2013","volume":"3","author":"L-E Shi","year":"2016","journal-title":"LGBT Health"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0277518.ref043","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"455","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2015-052389","article-title":"Men who have sex with men in Great Britain: comparing methods and estimates from probability and convenience sample surveys","volume":"92","author":"P Prah","year":"2016","journal-title":"Sex Transm Infect"}],"container-title":["PLOS ONE"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0277518","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,17]],"date-time":"2022-11-17T18:41:30Z","timestamp":1668710490000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0277518"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Cesar","family":"Infante Xibille","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,17]]},"references-count":43,"journal-issue":{"issue":"11","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,17]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0277518","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,17]]}}}