PLoS ONE (Jan 2015)

Factors Associated with Low Levels of HIV Testing among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Brazil.

  • Ana Maria Brito,
  • Carl Kendall,
  • Ligia Kerr,
  • Rosa Maria Salani Mota,
  • Mark Drew Crosland Guimarães,
  • Inês Dourado,
  • Adriana A Pinho,
  • Adele Schwartz Benzaken,
  • Sandra Brignol,
  • Arthur L Reingold

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130445
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 6
p. e0130445

Abstract

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The aim of this study was to assess risk factors associated with low levels of HIV testing among MSM recruited through respondent driven sampling (RDS) in Brazil. Of 3,617 participants, 48.4% had never tested previously for HIV. A logistic model indicated that younger age, lower socioeconomic class, education, poor HIV/AIDS knowledge, no history of cruising, and having been tested during the study were characteristics independently associated with low levels of previous HIV testing. The HIV testing rate among MSM in Brazil is still low in spite of the availability of a large number services providing universal and free access to HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment. To respond to low utilization, the authors propose a higher priority for testing for key populations such as MSM, expanded education, expanding testing sites and a welcoming and nonjudgmental environment in health services.