Purpose: Two common methods to sample men who have sex with men (MSM) for HIV research are venue- and internet-based approaches. However, it is unclear which is best to sample Chinese MSM.
Methods: We conducted side-by-side comparisons of time-location sampling (TLS) and an online sample of MSM in Nanjing, China.
Results: TLS-recruited MSM tended to be older and of lower socio-economic status compared to online-recruited MSM, whereas online-recruited MSM reported higher risk behavior and lower frequency of HIV testing.
Conclusion: Significant differences were observed between the two separate samples. Without a gold standard, the choice of sampling method or recruitment approach should be guided by the segment of the population targeted to be reached.
Keywords: China; men who have sex with men (MSM); sampling; time location sampling.