Engage COVID-19 Study

The Engage COVID-19 study seeks to document SARS-COV-2 infection, immunity and related determinants among gay and bisexual men (GBM), and to examine how this population perceives and is impacted by measures to curb the spread of the disease.

We are using a mixed-methods approach (using quantitative questions and qualitative interviews in French and English) to understand how the pandemic is impacting GBM in terms of uptake and implementation of COVID-19 messaging, and the interrelated impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual behaviours and access to HIV and STI testing, treatment, and prevention (e.g., PrEP), mental health outcomes (e.g., anxiety, depression, and loneliness) and substance use patterns.

The study’s aims can be broken down into biomedical aspects (such as the occurrence of, and exposure to, COVID-19) as well as behavioural and psychosocial ones (including mitigation strategies and mental health outcomes).

Learn more by reading the full study description.

Overview

Investigators

Contacts


General Design

Study DesignCohort
Start Year2020
End Year2021
General Information on Follow Up (profile frequency)The first wave of data collection was completed in April 2021 and the second wave of data collection is on-going (anticipated completion in October 2021).

Selection Criteria

GenderMen only
Minimum age17
CountriesCanada
TerritoryVancouver, Toronto, and Montreal
Other CriteriaSelf-identify as a Gay and Bisexual Men (GBM), including transgender GBM, reported having sex with another man within the past 6 months, and able to read English or French.

Sample Size

Number of Participants1842
Number of Participants with Biological Samples1842
Supplementary InformationVancouver: 565 participants
Toronto: 388 participants
Montreal: 889 participants

Engage
May 17th, 2021