Health and Cultural Determinants of Voluntary HIV Testing and Counseling Among Middle-Aged and Older Latina Women

Abstract

The rate of cases of HIV/AIDS in older people is increasing; indeed one out of every four people with HIV/AIDS is over age 50. This study describes the correlates of HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) using structural equation modeling techniques for a sample of 135 middle-aged and middle-aged and older Latinas in South Florida. Over 60% of participants had been tested for HIV. Provider endorsement was found to be the strongest predictor of VCT (odds ratio [OR] = 6. 38), followed by having a clinic as a regular source of healthcare (OR = 3.88). Social work implications are provided.

Keywords:

• HIV testing
• middle-aged and older women
• Latina healthcare

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The article reports on data derived from a study funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (NIDA-5R24DA014260–01A1). We thank the staff of the Center for Research on U.S. Latino HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse at Florida International University for their support in the development of this article.