Introduction/Background: African Americans and Blacks experience the greatest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) burden of any racial group in the US and globally. A number of challenges contribute to the higher rates of HIV infection among African Americans, including a lack of awareness of HIV status. African Americans account for nearly 50% of the newly estimated HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) diagnoses, with the majority being tested only after developing symptoms of AIDS. Moreover, African Americans are more likely to postpone medical care after finding out that they are HIV positive. Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe African Americans' likelihood of using salivary rapid testing (SRT) methods and entry into healthcare if HIV positive. Methods/Design: Focus groups were conducted among 38 African Americans. The purpose of this study was to (1) describe personal factors, social resources, socio-demographic factors, cognitive appraisal, and health and coping behaviors which predict or influence the likelihood of African Americans' participation in SRT and, if positive, subsequent entry into healthcare and (2) to evaluate HIV Testing Survey items and modify them to be culturally and linguistically appropriate. A modified Comprehensive Health Seeking and Coping Paradigm guided the study (CHSCP). Results: Of the 38 African American adults who participated in the study, 16 were female between the ages of 18-49 and the mean age was 23 years and there were 22 males, aged between 18-49 and the mean age was 29.5 years. Eight themes emerged from the data: familiarity, stigma, fear, access, immediacy, ease, degree of responsibility, and trust. Gender specific themes were health maintenance (women) and illness management (men). Sub-themes within gender-specific themes were stoicism (women) and anger (men). Implications: Identifying the factors that influence the likelihood of HIV testing uptake can provide information on which to base development of interventions to facilitate HIV testing and earlier linkage to healthcare.

Objective: The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) currently has the 3 rd highest per capita rate of HIV in the United States. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the risk factors that contribute to high rates of HIV in the USVI.Methods: Data from the CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 2005 and 2009 were examined using statistical analysis with PASW 18.0 software. Local HIV surveillance data presented in the USVI 2012-2016 HIV Prevention Plan was also reviewed. Descriptive statistics were conducted using chi squared tests and a logistical regression model to examine sociodemographic factors that may contribute to HIV risk.Results: Aggregation of data from the USVI indicate an increase in reported history of HIV testing and a decrease in reported high HIV-associated risk behavior between 2005 and 2009. Analysis of the data showed that being a young adult significantly (twice higher) increased the odds of being at high risk for HIV as 19.7% of 18-24 year olds reported high HIV risk. Adults between the ages of 25-44 were 2.2 times more likely to be at a high risk for HIV, and 59.2% reported high risk. Being between the ages of 25 and 44 was the only found statistically significant predictor of high HIV risk of any category, even among other categories that were reported as being at high risk by the 2014 USVI HIV Surveillance Report. Conclusion:Using results from this study, future HIV prevention plans could be tailored to the high risk age group of young adults in order to facilitate HIV care and treatment. More studies are needed to examine the HIV-associated sexual risk behaviors of young adults in the USVI and to facilitate the development of appropriate HIV prevention interventions for this population.