Which gay men would increase their frequency of HIV testing with home self-testing?

Benjamin R. Bavinton; Graham Brown; Michael Hurley; Jack Bradley; Phillip Keen; Damian P. Conway; Rebecca Guy; Andrew E. Grulich; Garrett Prestage

doi:10.1007/s10461-013-0450-z

Which gay men would increase their frequency of HIV testing with home self-testing?

Benjamin R. Bavinton^*, Graham Brown, Michael Hurley, Jack Bradley, Phillip Keen, Damian P. Conway, Rebecca Guy, Andrew E. Grulich, Garrett Prestage

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

67 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Many Australian gay men do not get tested for HIV at the recommended frequency. Barriers to HIV testing may be reduced by the availability of home HIV self-testing (HHST). An online cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted with 2,306 Australian gay men during 2009. Multivariate logistic regression identified factors associated with being likely to increase testing frequency if HHST was available, among previously-tested and never-tested men. Among 2,018 non-HIV-positive men, 83.9 % had been tested. Two-thirds indicated they would test more often if HHST was available irrespective of previous testing history. In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of increased testing frequency with HHST included preferences for more convenient testing, not having to see a doctor when testing and wanting immediate results among all men, as well as not being from an Anglo-Australian background and recent unprotected anal sex with casual partners among previously-tested men only. The majority of gay men report that being able to test themselves at home would increase their frequency of HIV testing.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2084-2092
Number of pages	9
Journal	AIDS and Behavior
Volume	17
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0450-z
Publication status	Published - Jul 2013
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the participants and the many people and organisations that assisted with recruitment and referral of potential participants to the study. This study was commissioned and funded by the Departments of Health in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Indirect support was also provided by the Queensland Health Department. The Kirby Institute is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales. The Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society (ARCSHS) is affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University. The Kirby Institute and ARCSHS receive funding from the Commonwealth of Australia Department of Health and Ageing.

Keywords

Gay men
HIV testing
Home testing
Sexual behaviour

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1007/s10461-013-0450-z

Cite this

@article{4e7c32ab516b4db5b0a8aaf93264d1b7,

title = "Which gay men would increase their frequency of HIV testing with home self-testing?",

abstract = "Many Australian gay men do not get tested for HIV at the recommended frequency. Barriers to HIV testing may be reduced by the availability of home HIV self-testing (HHST). An online cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted with 2,306 Australian gay men during 2009. Multivariate logistic regression identified factors associated with being likely to increase testing frequency if HHST was available, among previously-tested and never-tested men. Among 2,018 non-HIV-positive men, 83.9 % had been tested. Two-thirds indicated they would test more often if HHST was available irrespective of previous testing history. In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of increased testing frequency with HHST included preferences for more convenient testing, not having to see a doctor when testing and wanting immediate results among all men, as well as not being from an Anglo-Australian background and recent unprotected anal sex with casual partners among previously-tested men only. The majority of gay men report that being able to test themselves at home would increase their frequency of HIV testing.",

keywords = "Gay men, HIV testing, Home testing, Sexual behaviour",

author = "Bavinton, {Benjamin R.} and Graham Brown and Michael Hurley and Jack Bradley and Phillip Keen and Conway, {Damian P.} and Rebecca Guy and Grulich, {Andrew E.} and Garrett Prestage",

note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the participants and the many people and organisations that assisted with recruitment and referral of potential participants to the study. This study was commissioned and funded by the Departments of Health in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Indirect support was also provided by the Queensland Health Department. The Kirby Institute is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales. The Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society (ARCSHS) is affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University. The Kirby Institute and ARCSHS receive funding from the Commonwealth of Australia Department of Health and Ageing.",

year = "2013",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1007/s10461-013-0450-z",

language = "English",

volume = "17",

pages = "2084--2092",

journal = "AIDS and Behavior",

issn = "1090-7165",