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

Abstract #113965

Haven B. Battles, PhD¹, Karyn K. Heavner, MSPH¹, James M. Tesoriero, PhD¹, Shu-Yin John Leung, MA¹, Chris Nemeth, MA², and Guthrie Birkhead, MD, MPH³. (1) Office of Program Evaluation and Research, New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, 150 Broadway, Menands, NY 12204, 518-402-6814, HBB01@health.state.ny.us, (2) Bureau of HIV/AIDS Epidemiology, New York State Department of Health, Rm 717 Corning Tower, Albany, NY 12237, (3) AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, Corning Tower Building, Room 1483, Albany, NY 12237

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) who do not identify as such may be difficult to target for HIV testing. This study examined the relationship between “outness” about men's sexual behavior with other men and reasons for delaying/avoiding HIV testing.

Methods: MSM (n=143) were interviewed in four upstate New York cities in MSM-oriented venues. Participants' responses to a 12-dimension scale of “outness” about having sex with men were categorized (low/moderate/high). Participants were asked about 13 reasons for delaying/avoiding HIV testing within the past year.

Results: 37% of MSM were low in “outness” (43% were high). 39% avoided HIV testing during the past year, 45% delayed testing, and 16% tested without delay. MSM low in “outness” were more likely to avoid/delay testing because they did not want anyone to think they were HIV+ (p<.01) or that they belonged to an HIV risk group (p<.01), because they were worried about who would find out their results (p<.05), or their name being reported to the government (p<.01) or insurance company/employer (p<.01) and because they were unsure of where to get tested (p<.05).

Conclusions: Low “outness” about having sex with men was significantly associated with a fear of others learning about their sexual behavior and HIV status. In addition, those who were not “out” were less aware of where to obtain an HIV test. Efforts should be made to incorporate HIV testing into routine, non-stigmatized medical settings so that individuals will be able to easily access testing without fear of scrutiny.

Learning Objectives: