Correlates of HIV and STI testing among Latino men who have sex with men in New York City

ABSTRACT

We assessed the extent to which sociodemographic, personal, and behavioral factors are associated with human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection (HIV/STI) testing among a diverse group of Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) in New York City. The triangulation approach was used to synthesize data from 176 MSM who completed an in-person or phone questionnaire about substance use, alcohol consumption, sexual behaviors, and HIV/STI testing history and 40 participants who participated in focus groups. Correlates of testing significant in univariable analyses (p < .05) were entered into multivariable logistic regression models. Over half (57.9%) of study subjects tested for HIV in the previous 12 months and 60.2% tested for STIs in the previous 12 months. Age and education were positively correlated with HIV testing in multivariable analysis. No significant correlates of STI testing were identified. Spanish-speaking only subjects were less likely to get tested for HIV and STI; however, this association was not significant. Our study demonstrates the need for further study of predictors of STI testing as well as the potential role of language barriers and education in routine testing for HIV. Social and behavioral factors may intensify these obstacles. Future research and interventions should address the role of language barriers and perceived issues of immigration status in the decision to get tested.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV
• STI
• testing
• Latino
• MSM

Acknowledgement

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIMH or the NIH. The authors thank the participants who completed the questionnaire for their contribution to research. Conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data for the work: JTS, OM, EL, BD, MML, MIF. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content: JTS, OM, EL, BD, MML, MIF. Ethical approval was obtained from New York State Psychiatric Institute Institutional Review Board (# 6878).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a center grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at NY State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University ([P30-MH43520]; Principal Investigator: Robert H. Remien, Ph.D.). Mr Omar Martinez was supported by a training grant from the National Institute of Mental Health ([T32 MH19139], Behavioral Sciences Research in HIV Infection; Principal Investigator: Theo Sandfort, Ph.D.).