Comparison of the clientele of an anonymous HIV test centre and persons tested in the general population. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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Comparison of the clientele of an anonymous HIV test centre and persons tested in the general population.

AIDS Care. 1998 Feb;10(1):89-103. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/98197267
Rossi I; Jeannin A; Dubois-Arber F; Guex P; Vannotti M; Faculty of Medicine, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.; Ilario.Rossi@hospvd.ch

Abstract: This study compares the clientele of a Swiss anonymous test centre with the general population tested. Information was obtained through similar questionnaires submitted to two samples of HIV-tested people aged from 17 to 45 years: the first administered in the context of a general population telephone survey (n = 245) and the second completed during face-to-face interviews of the clientele of an anonymous test centre (n = 250). The test centre sample has higher proportions of younger and single people. Attenders for anonymous testing were more likely to have acquired a new regular partner during the year preceding the interview (48.0% versus 14.4%). These differences remain when controlling for age and gender. Decision to test comes mostly from the respondent's own initiative, but suggestion from a doctor is more frequent in the general population (23.8% versus 0.8%), whereas suggestion from partner or friends is more frequent in the anonymous centre (44.4% versus 3.0%). The anonymous test centre clientele is not different from the general population tested except for the relational situation and origin of decision for testing. The test centre has become a place where the general population finds a response to a situation-specific need for HIV testing.
Keywords: *HIV Infections/DIAGNOSIS *HIV Infections/EPIDEMIOLOGY *HIV Infections/THERAPY

KWDhivinfections/diagnosisKWDhivinfections/epidemiologyKWDhivinfections/therapy
980730
M9871369

Copyright © 1998 - National Library of Medicine. Reproduced under license with the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

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