Who doesn’t know their HIV status?


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

3242.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - Board 7

Abstract #113515

Nadia Minian, PhD, Christopher Godfrey, PhD(c), Beatrice Krauss, PhD, Peter Nwakeze, PhD, and Angelica Martinez. Center for Community and Urban Health, Hunter College, 425 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, 212-481-4673, ccgodfrey@aol.com

Background: Not knowing one's HIV status has harmful implications for the individual and for the public's health. HIV positive individuals who are unaware of their HIV status may place others at jeopardy through high risk behaviors. They are also themselves at risk of re-infection, or delayed entry into treatment. Methods: Using data collected from a large multi-site sample, that recruits people at high risk of HIV (N= 2198), logistic-regression analysis was conducted in order to identify the factors which are associated with HIV testing and obtaining test results. The predictor variables used were socio-demographic characteristics, social support as well as drug/alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors. Results: Most participants (77%) had been tested and knew the results of their HIV test. However, 320 (15%) participants were unaware of their HIV status. While there were no gender differences, or differences in sexual orientation with regards to knowing one's HIV status, analysis showed that being African American (OR=2.2), or Latino (OR=1.7) and having social support (1.1) were associated with getting tested and obtaining one's HIV results. However, being employed (OR= 0.6), having a history of gonorrhea (OR=0.4), abusing alcohol (OR=0.7), and having had unprotected sex in the last three months (OR=0.7) were associated with participants not knowing their HIV status. Conclusions: People who do not know their HIV status report a complement of recent risk behaviors. Untested individuals in our sample include “untargeted” groups: the employed, non-minority. Specific strategies for these groups should be developed.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session participants will be able to

•List factors associated with HIV testing among those who are at high risk of HIV.
•Identify some of the reasons why some groups are frequently overlooked (the employed, non-minority) and have significantly lower rates of HIV-testing and knowledge of their HIV status than groups more commonly identified as “high-risk”

Keywords: HIV Interventions, HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Current Issues in HIV Counseling and Testing

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA