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Predictors of HIV Testing and Their Influence on PrEP Acceptance in Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Cross-Sectional Study

AIDS and Behavior volume 22, pages 1150–1157 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

HIV testing is the gateway to biomedical means of prevention and treatment. Identifying predictors of HIV testing is important to inform future preventive interventions. Of 444 men who have sex with men without known HIV infection enrolled in a study in Hong Kong, 64% had ever been HIV-tested. Testers were generally older, better educated, had a higher monthly income, and more likely self-identified as gay. Testers often used Internet and frequented saunas for sex networking, compared with non-testers attending bars, massage centres and public toilets. HIV testing habit also varied with the profile of body image type and preferred type in sex networking. Higher acceptance of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was observed among testers. Overall, socioeconomic status played an important role in both HIV testing and access to PrEP. Interventions targeting sex networking venues and alternative means of testing provision are needed to increase coverage of HIV testing.

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Acknowledgements

Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences is acknowledged for providing technical support.

Funding

This study was funded by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (RGC Ref. No.: 14103315).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

    Tsz Ho Kwan

  2. Stanley Ho Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Postgraduate Education Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, Room 205, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong

    Shui Shan Lee

Authors
  1. Tsz Ho Kwan
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Correspondence to Shui Shan Lee.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by the Survey and Behavioural Research Ethics Committee of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Kwan, T.H., Lee, S.S. Predictors of HIV Testing and Their Influence on PrEP Acceptance in Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Cross-Sectional Study. AIDS Behav 22, 1150–1157 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1978-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1978-0

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