HIV Testing among a Representative Community Sample of Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Vancouver, Canada
Date
2018
Authors
Armstrong, Heather L.
Wang, Lu
Zhu, Julia
Lachowsky, Nathan J.
Card, Kiffer G.
Wong, Jason
Jollimore, Jody
Edward, Joshua
Roth, Eric A.
Hogg, Robert S.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AIDS and Behavior
Abstract
Earlier HIV diagnosis allows for improved treatment outcomes and secondary prevention. It is recommended that all individuals know their HIV status and that those at higher risk test more frequently. Using a representative community sample of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM), we aimed to: 1) determine the proportion of GBMSM who have tested in the past 2 years, 2) determine reasons for testing and never having tested, and 3) explore correlates of testing. Of 535 eligible participants, 80.0% reported having had an HIV test in the past 2 years, most commonly as part of a regular testing schedule. The most common reason for not testing was low perceived HIV risk. Bisexual and older GBMSM, as well as those who lived outside of Vancouver, were less likely to have tested in the past 2 years. Rapid point-of-care testing may help improve testing rates and was shown to effectively engage some hard-to-reach GBMSM (e.g., those who had not tested for other STIs) in this sample.
Description
The authors would like to thank the Momentum Health Study participants, office staff, and community advisory board, as well as our community partner agencies, Health Initiative for Men, YouthCO HIV & Hep C Society, and Positive Living Society of BC.
Keywords
HIV Testing, Gay and Bisexual Men, Point-of-Care Testing, Motivation
Citation
Armstrong, H. L., Wang, L., Zhu, J., Lachowsky, N. J., Card, K. G., Wong, J., Jollimore, J., Edward, J., Roth, E. A., Hogg, R. S., & Moore, D. M. (2019). “HIV Testing Among a Representative Community Sample of Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Vancouver, Canada.” AIDS and Behavior, 23(2), 347-358. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2259-2