Comparison of Demographic Features of Identified PLWHAs Transmitted through Commercial and Non-marital Non-Commercial Heterosexual Contact in China from 2015–2018: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background ： To understand the characteristics of people living with HIV/AIDS(PLWHAs) infected through commercial heterosexual contact (CHC) and non-marital non-commercial heterosexual contact (NMNCHC) is important for the AIDS prevention work in China. Methods: All cases reported through the Chinese HIV/AIDS Case Reporting System (CRS) from 2015 to 2018 were included in this study. A descriptive analysis of the socio-demographic characteristics of interest was made. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests, Cochran–Armitage test, and Student t-test were applied in data analysis. Results ： Totally 523, 121 identified PLWHAs were included in this study. From 2015 to 2018. In heterosexual transmission, the composition of commercial heterosexual contact (CHC) decreased from 40.18% to 37.99%, while that of non-marital non-commercial heterosexual contact (NMNCHC) increased from 46.33% to 49.02%. In the non-marital non-commercial heterosexual contact (NMNCHC) group, the rates of male versus female were 1.50:1, 1.51:1, 1.54:1, 1.52:1, while in the commercial heterosexual contact (CHC) group, this rate were 11.45:1, 12.08:1,12.53:1, 13.28:1. Those who infected through non-marital non-commercial heterosexual contact(NMNCHC) were significantly younger compared with the people infected through commercial heterosexual contact (CHC) (P<0.01 ), with an average age gap ranged from 5.63 to 7.46. This age difference was greater in males (age gap: 5.46~7.82) than in females (age gap: 0.27~1.62). Conclusions ： Non-marital non-commercial heterosexual contact (NMNCHC) plays an increasingly crucial role in heterosexual transmission. Cases infected through commercial heterosexual contact (CHC) and non-marital non-commercial heterosexual contact (NMNCHC) varied significantly in gender, age and other social demographic characteristics.