High-Risk Sexual Behavior in Los Angeles: Who Receives Testing for HIV?

Abstract

No recent population-based data on HIV testing in people with high-risk sexual behavior are available. We sought predictors of testing using data from the 1997 Los Angeles County Health Survey, a random-digit telephone survey of 8004 county households. An estimated 2.3 million (35.5%) adults were tested for HIV in the past 2 years and approximately 370,000 (5.6%) engaged in high-risk sexual behavior (defined as having > or =2 partners in the past 12 months and not always using condoms). Among high-risk persons, an estimated 46% of heterosexual men, 56% of heterosexual women, and 72% of men who had sex with men (MSM) were tested for HIV. In a multivariable model of high-risk people, both heterosexual men (odds ratio [OR], 0.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16-0.61) and women (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.19-0.87) had significantly lower proportions of testing than MSM. Although African Americans and Hispanics had significantly higher testing proportions than whites overall among all county residents, those reporting high-risk sexual behavior did not test at higher proportions. We conclude that the proportion of adults with high-risk sexual behavior tested for HIV is higher than almost a decade ago. However, testing among this group remains suboptimal. Future public health campaigns should intensify efforts to encourage HIV testing among this population.

Health System and Personal Barriers Resulting in Decreased Utilization of HIV and STD Testing Services among At-Risk Black Men Who Have Sex with Men in Massachusetts

“…The likelihood of testing has been associated with a variety of sociodemographic and behavioral factors, including younger age, [26][27][28][29][30] gay sexual orientation, 31,32 disclosure of sexual identity to health care provider, 33 social support, 32,[34][35][36][37] sexual risk behavior, 5,31,34,[37][38][39][40][41] and drug behavior, 34,36 as well as knowledge of and access to a comfortable testing site. 15,32,35,37 Rates of HIV testing have also been shown to differ by partner type.…”

Predictores conductuales y sociodemográficos de riesgo para el contagio del VIH y otras ITSs

“…En efecto, tal y como se ha señalado por diferentes autores (Beardsell, 1994;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1997;Miller, Simon, Miller, Long, Yu y Asch, 1999;Nyamathi, Stein y Swanson, 2000;Wolistky, Mac Gowan, Higgins y Jorgesen, 1997), si alguna utilidad pudiera tener la realización de las diferentes pruebas de laboratorio que las personas se realizan en relación con los problemas de salud multicitados, y las actividades de asesoría/consejería que se conducen, es justamente la de ofrecer información valiosa y oportuna para diseñar estrategias de intervención orientadas al cambio de conductas de riesgo por conductas preventivas.…”

16S rRNA gene PCR is a useful detector of Mycoplasma genitalium

“…3 The use of a computerised questionnaire data collection method in combination with the use of mobile phone was also found to be reporting higher frequencies of risk behaviours. 5 As telephone interviews have frequently been used to study sexual behaviours, [9][10][11][12] an innovative data collection method which can reduce reporting bias of telephone surveys would have important implications. This study aimed to compare the frequencies of HIV related attitudes and risk behaviours as reported by two modes of telephone survey methods.…”