Sociodemographic, health-related factors and sexual behaviours associated with reporting testing for HIV during three periods of the first year of the UK’s pandemic response
| Lookback period (period number) | March–June/July 2020 (P1) | July–November/December 2020 (P2) | December 2020–March/April 2021 (P3) | |||||||||||||||
| Sample composition, col % (n) | (Row) % reporting a recent HIV test (n) | uOR (95% CI) for reporting a recent HIV test (n) | P value | aOR (95% CI)* for reporting a recent HIV test (n) | P value | Sample composition, col % (n) | (Row) % reporting a recent HIV test (n) | uOR (95% CI) for reporting a recent HIV test (n) | P value | aOR (95% CI)* for reporting a recent HIV test (n) | P value | Sample composition, col % (n) | (Row) % reporting a recent HIV test (n) | uOR (95% CI) for reporting a recent HIV test (n) | P value | aOR (95% CI)* for reporting a recent HIV test (n) | P value | |
| All† | 100.0 (1753) | 29.7 (521) | – | – | – | – | 100.0 (1308) | 39.4 (515) | – | – | – | – | 100.0 (1330) | 40.5 (538) | – | – | – | – |
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Age (years) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Under 30 | 26.7 (468) | 35.3 (165) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | <0.001 | 28.9 (378) | 41.0 (155) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | 0.311 | 25.8 (343) | 44.6 (153) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | 0.024 |
| 30–44 | 35.5 (623) | 32.6 (203) | 0.89 (0.69 to 1.14) | 0.77 (0.58 to 1.01) | 37.7 (493) | 44.6 (220) | 1.16 (0.88 to 1.52) | 0.95 (0.68 to 1.32) | 35.1 (466) | 45.9 (214) | 1.05 (0.80 to 1.40) | 0.97 (0.71 to 1.33) | ||||||
| 45 and over | 37.8 (662) | 23.1 (153) | 0.55 (0.42 to 0.72) | 0.54 (0.40 to 0.72) | 33.4 (437) | 32.0 (140) | 0.68 (0.51 to 0.90) | 0.77 (0.54 to 1.10) | 39.1 (520) | 32.9 (171) | 0.61 (0.46 to 0.81) | 0.68 (0.49 to 0.94) | ||||||
| Sexual identity | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gay | 85.1 (1492) | 31.4 (469) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | 0.002 | 82.4 (1078) | 42.0 (453) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | 0.086 | 83.4 (1109) | 42.6 (472) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | 0.036 |
| Bisexual‡ | 14.9 (261) | 19.9 (52) | 0.54 (0.39 to 0.75) | 0.59 (0.42 to 0.82) | 17.6 (230) | 27.0 (62) | 0.51 (0.37 to 0.70) | 0.72 (0.50 to 1.05) | 16.6 (221) | 29.9 (66) | 0.57 (0.42 to 0.78) | 0.69 (0.49 to 0.98) | ||||||
| Ethnicity | ||||||||||||||||||
| White§ | 88.5 (1552) | 29.6 (460) | 1 | 0.836 | – | n.a. | 87.2 (1141) | 39.3 (448) | 1 | 0.833 | – | n.a. | 90.0 (1197) | 40.3 (482) | 1 | 0.683 | – | n.a. |
| All other ethnic groups¶ | 11.5 (201) | 30.4 (61) | 1.03 (0.75 to 1.42) | – | 12.8 (167) | 40.1 (67) | 1.04 (0.74 to 1.44) | – | 10.0 (133) | 42.1 (56) | 1.08 (0.75 to 1.55) | – | ||||||
| Country of residence in the UK | ||||||||||||||||||
| England | 85.5 (1499) | 31.1 (466) | 1 | 0.002 | 1 | 0.009 | 83.4 (1091) | 41.9 (457) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | 0.008 | 83.4 (1109) | 41.7 (462) | 1 | 0.043 | 1 | 0.114 |
| Outside England | 14.5 (254) | 21.7 (55) | 0.61 (0.45 to 0.84) | 0.64 (0.46 to 0.90) | 16.6 (217) | 26.7 (58) | 0.51 (0.37 to 0.70) | 0.60 (0.41 to 0.88) | 16.6 (221) | 34.4 (76) | 0.73 (0.54 to 0.99) | 0.76 (0.54 to 1.07) | ||||||
| Born in the UK | ||||||||||||||||||
| Yes | 78.3 (1373) | 29.0 (398) | 1 | 0.205 | 1 | 0.742 | 76.3 (998) | 34.9 (348) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | <0.001 | 78.5 (1044) | 38.2 (399) | 1 | 0.002 | 1 | 0.156 |
| No | 21.7 (380) | 32.4 (123) | 1.17 (0.92–1.50) | 0.96 (0.73–1.25) | 23.7 (310) | 53.9 (167) | 2.18 (1.68 to 2.82) | 1.95 (1.42 to 2.67) | 21.5 (286) | 48.6 (139) | 1.53 (1.17 to 1.99) | 1.24 (0.92 to 1.68) | ||||||
| Highest educational qualification | ||||||||||||||||||
| Degree or higher | 58.9 (1031) | 30.8 (317) | 1 | 0.268 | 1 | 0.791 | 58.8 (769) | 43.8 (337) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | 0.199 | 56.2 (748) | 44.1 (330) | 1 | 0.002 | 1 | 0.223 |
| Below degree | 41.2 (721) | 28.3 (204) | 0.89 (0.72–1.10) | 0.97 (0.77–1.22) | 41.2 (539) | 33.0 (178) | 0.63 (0.50 to 0.79) | 0.83 (0.63 to 1.10) | 43.8 (582) | 35.7 (208) | 0.70 (0.56 to 0.88) | 0.85 (0.66 to 1.10) | ||||||
| Employed (inc. furlough**) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Yes | 77.7 (1355) | 30.2 (409) | 1 | 0.549 | – | n.a. | 75.4 (986) | 40.1 (395) | 1 | 0.372 | – | n.a. | 78.0 (1037) | 41.6 (431) | 1 | 0.119 | – | n.a. |
| No | 22.3 (388) | 28.6 (111) | 0.93 (0.72–1.19) | – | 24.6 (322) | 37.3 (120) | 0.89 (0.69 to 1.15) | – | 22.0 (293) | 36.5 (107) | 0.81 (0.62 to 1.06) | – | ||||||
| Health-related factors | ||||||||||||||||||
| PrEP use (in the lookback period) | ||||||||||||||||||
| No | 84.9 (1481) | 24.4 (362) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | <0.001 | 74.2 (970) | 25.4 (246) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | <0.001 | 76.8 (1022) | 29.5 (301) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | <0.001 |
| Yes | 15.1 (264) | 59.5 (157) | 4.54 (3.45 to 5.96) | 3.56 (2.62 to 4.83) | 25.8 (337) | 79.8 (269) | 11.64 (8.60 to 15.76) | 7.70 (5.51 to 10.76) | 23.2 (308) | 77.0 (237) | 8.00 (5.94 to 10.76) | 5.71 (4.12 to 7.91) | ||||||
| Life satisfaction level | ||||||||||||||||||
| Medium–very high | 69.0 (1208) | 29.1 (351) | 1 | 0.382 | – | n.a. | 75.5 (988) | 38.8 (383) | 1 | 0.430 | – | n.a. | 75.2 (998) | 41.5 (414) | 1 | 0.223 | – | n.a. |
| Low | 31.0 (543) | 31.1 (169) | 1.10 (0.88 to 1.37) | – | 24.5 (320) | 41.3 (132) | 1.12 (0.86 to 1.43) | – | 24.8 (329) | 37.7 (124) | 0.85 (0.66–1.10) | – | ||||||
| Sexual behaviour (in the lookback period) | ||||||||||||||||||
| No. of CAS partners | ||||||||||||||||||
| None | 63.0 (1105) | 23.3 (257) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | <0.001 | 43.8 (573) | 23.2 (133) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | <0.001 | 50.0 (665) | 30.2 (201) | 1 | <0.001 | 1 | <0.001 |
| One | 20.8 (364) | 33.8 (123) | 1.68 (1.30 to 2.18) | 1.64 (1.24 to 2.17) | 24.9 (325) | 36.6 (119) | 1.91 (1.42 to 2.57) | 1.77 (1.26 to 2.49) | 24.7 (329) | 37.4 (123) | 1.38 (1.04 to 1.82) | 1.21 (0.89 to 1.64) | ||||||
| Multiple | 16.2 (284) | 49.7 (141) | 3.25 (2.48 to 4.27) | 2.07 (1.52 to 2.81) | 31.4 (410) | 64.2 (263) | 5.92 (4.47 to 7.83) | 3.00 (2.16 to 4.17) | 25.3 (336) | 63.7 (214) | 4.05 (3.07 to 5.34) | 2.10 (1.52 to 2.89) | ||||||
*Adjusting for: age; sexual identity; country of residence; born in the UK; education; living with partner; PrEP use; CAS.
†Cisgender MSM that report a negative or unknown HIV status.
‡Including ‘Bisexual’ (S1: n=210; S2: n=169; S3: n=171); ‘Other’ (S1: n=43; S2: n=47; S3: n=44); ‘Straight’ (S1: n=8; S2: n=14; S3: n=6).
§Including ‘White British’ (S1: n=1288; S2: n=924; S3: n=1000); ‘White Irish’ (S1: n=64; S2: n=50; S3: n=42); ‘White other’ (S1: n=200; S2: n=167; S3: n=155).
¶Including ‘Black’ (S1: n=24; S2: n=38; S3: n=22); ‘Asian’ (S1: n=98; S2: n=61; S3: n=52); ‘Mixed or other’ (S1: n=79; S2: n=68; S3: n=59).
**The UK government paid 80% of the salary of those who were unable to work due to COVID-19 restrictions.15
aOR, adjusted OR; CAS, condomless anal sex; CI, confidence interval; MSM, men who have sex with men; n.a., not applicable; PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis; uOR, unadjusted OR.