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Which Gay Men Would Increase Their Frequency of HIV Testing with Home Self-testing?

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Abstract

Many Australian gay men do not get tested for HIV at the recommended frequency. Barriers to HIV testing may be reduced by the availability of home HIV self-testing (HHST). An online cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted with 2,306 Australian gay men during 2009. Multivariate logistic regression identified factors associated with being likely to increase testing frequency if HHST was available, among previously-tested and never-tested men. Among 2,018 non-HIV-positive men, 83.9 % had been tested. Two-thirds indicated they would test more often if HHST was available irrespective of previous testing history. In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of increased testing frequency with HHST included preferences for more convenient testing, not having to see a doctor when testing and wanting immediate results among all men, as well as not being from an Anglo-Australian background and recent unprotected anal sex with casual partners among previously-tested men only. The majority of gay men report that being able to test themselves at home would increase their frequency of HIV testing.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participants and the many people and organisations that assisted with recruitment and referral of potential participants to the study. This study was commissioned and funded by the Departments of Health in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Indirect support was also provided by the Queensland Health Department. The Kirby Institute is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales. The Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society (ARCSHS) is affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University. The Kirby Institute and ARCSHS receive funding from the Commonwealth of Australia Department of Health and Ageing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Kirby Institute, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Benjamin R. Bavinton, Jack Bradley, Phillip Keen, Damian P. Conway, Rebecca Guy, Andrew E. Grulich & Garrett Prestage

  2. Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Graham Brown, Michael Hurley & Garrett Prestage

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  1. Benjamin R. Bavinton
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  2. Graham Brown
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  3. Michael Hurley
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  7. Rebecca Guy
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  9. Garrett Prestage
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Correspondence to Benjamin R. Bavinton.

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Bavinton, B.R., Brown, G., Hurley, M. et al. Which Gay Men Would Increase Their Frequency of HIV Testing with Home Self-testing?. AIDS Behav 17, 2084–2092 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0450-z

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