HIV testing preferences, barriers and facilitators to receiving HIV services among young Black sexual minority men

ABSTRACT

Young Black sexual minority men (YBSMM) represent a high-priority population for HIV prevention research. HIV testing is a critical public health tool to prevent HIV transmission and is an integral component of health care for high-priority populations. The present study uses Andersen’s model of health care utilization as a framework to explore the HIV testing preferences of YBSMM and the barriers and facilitators to receiving HIV services as a means to increase regular HIV testing. A sample of 57 YBSMM (M =19 years) in Washington, DC responded to closed and open-ended questions regarding preferences for HIV testing across various venues. Approximately 61% of the sample reported a previous HIV test and 12% reported a positive result. Participants were most willing to receive free HIV testing at medical establishments and schools. Concerns for privacy were most notable for testing at churches, malls, and schools. Identified barriers to receiving HIV services included cost, stigma, privacy, and access whereas identified facilitators included low cost and support. The findings encourage integrating regular HIV testing into the health care regiment of YBSMM and increasing youth’s autonomy over their sexual health.

KEYWORDS:

• Young Black Sexual Minority Men (YBSMM)
• HIV testing
• venues
• facilitators
• barriers
• Andersen’s model

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to Brian Clark and Wren O’Kelly for their assistance with data collection and data coding, respectively. We would also like to thank the participants for their generous contributions to the study, and the Project HATCH team for their guidance and consultation on this article. Data collection for this project was supported by internal funding from the George Washington University.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).