Mapping the Spatial–Temporal Distribution and Migration Patterns of Men Who Have Sex with Men in Mainland China: A Web-Based Study

Abstract

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rate for men who have sex with men (MSM) has rapidly increased in recent years in China and the migrant population accounts for a large proportion of this increase. The migration of MSM not only poses difficulties for government departments charged with treating the disease, but also increases the spread of HIV in geographical space, so it is important to understand the geographical distribution and migrant patterns of MSM. We searched the largest dating website in China to obtain open information from all users in the Chinese mainland from January 2006 to August 2017. For the analysis, the datasets were merged according to units of time and administrative regions. In total, 1,356,609 records were obtained for this study. The main users of the website were single males aged 18–35 years old. Most of the users were located in the large and mid-sized cities of East China. The distribution of MSM was strongly associated with the distribution of the development of service industry in geographical space. The main flow of MSM are mainly located inside the province as internal flow. For those MSM who prefer to migrate to other provinces, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and Sichuan and Chongqing area were their primary destinations. The interprovincial migration behavior of MSM was closely related to an increased average income. MSM prefer to migrate to cities with developed economies and open cultures. It is important to strengthen the management of migrant MSM and increase their basic understanding of HIV.