Preference towards HIV Self-Testing above Other Testing Options in a Sample of Men Who Have Sex with Men from Five European Countries

Juan Hoyos, Tomás Maté, Juan-Miguel Guerras, Marta Donat, Cristina Agustí, Matthias Kuske, Ricardo Fuertes, Sophocles Chanos, Francois Pichon, Luis Sordo, José Pulido, María-José Belza and on behalf of the EURO HIV EDAT Group
Additional contact information
Juan Hoyos: Departamento de Salud Pública y Materno-Infantil, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Tomás Maté: Gerencia de Atención Primaria de Valladolid Este, Gerencia Regional de Salud de Castilla y León (SACYL), 47010 Valladolid, Spain
Juan-Miguel Guerras: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain
Marta Donat: Escuela Nacional de Sanidad, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
Cristina Agustí: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain
Matthias Kuske: AIDS Hilfe NRW e.V., 10963 Berlin, Germany
Ricardo Fuertes: GAT-Grupo de Ativistas em Tratamentos, 1000-228 Lisboa, Portugal
Sophocles Chanos: Checkpoint Athens, 105 54 Athens, Greece
Francois Pichon: AIDS Fondet, 1456 Copenhagen, Denmark
Luis Sordo: Departamento de Salud Pública y Materno-Infantil, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
José Pulido: Departamento de Salud Pública y Materno-Infantil, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
María-José Belza: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain
on behalf of the EURO HIV EDAT Group: EURO HIV EDAT Group are listed in Acknowledgments.

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: We analyzed men who have sex with men (MSM) from Denmark, Germany, Greece, Portugal and Spain to identify who would choose HIV self-testing as their preferred testing method and assessed their preferred setting to acquire a self-testing kit and to confirm a reactive result. In 2016, we recruited an online sample of 3725 HIV-negative MSM. We used Poisson regression to identify factors associated with choosing self-testing as the preferred testing option. For those choosing it as their preferred option, we assessed the preferred settings to acquire a self-testing kit and to confirm a reactive result. Not being open about one’s sexual behaviors with men was associated with choosing self-testing as the preferred option, except in Greece; older age in Greece and Spain; reporting condomless anal intercourses (CAI) in Germany and Portugal; reporting one previous test in Greece; between 2 and 5 in Spain and with having been tested ? 12 months ago in Germany, Portugal and Spain. The internet (32.8%) was the preferred place to acquire a self-testing kit and primary care (34.0%) for confirmation purposes. Self-testing was highly valued, especially among individuals who were not open about their sexual behaviors with men. In certain countries, it was also associated with older age, CAI and being undertested.

Keywords: early diagnosis; HIV; self-testing; men who have sex with men (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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