Low Rates of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing Among Adolescent Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men
PURPOSE:
Adolescent
gay and bisexual men (AGBM) are disproportionately affected by human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but little is known about testing rates among men
aged 18 years and under or about the barriers that they face when contemplating
an HIV test. Therefore, we investigate here the testing behaviors and barriers
among a diverse national sample of AGBM.
RESULTS:
Only 30%
of sexually active participants had ever been tested for HIV, and nearly half
of them did not know where they could go to get tested for HIV (42.9%). Based
on exploratory factor analysis, nine questions assessing potential barriers to
HIV testing factored into three subscales: external factors, fear, and feelings
of invincibility. Among sexually active participants, those who had never
tested for HIV had significantly greater scores on the external factors and fear subscale. Older (16-18 years old)
youth were especially likely to be affected by external factor barriers, and
fear was associated with never testing among gay-identified individuals.
CONCLUSIONS:
HIV
testing rates were low among AGBM. Several modifiable barriers emerged,
especially a lack of knowledge about the closest testing site. Interventions
and programs that target high school-age adolescents could address external
barriers by introducing HIV testing services into high schools.
- 1Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
- 2Center for Innovative Public Health Research, San Clemente, California.
- 3Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training (CHEST), New York, New York.
- 4Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. Electronic address: brian@northwestern.edu.
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