Knowledge of Acute Human Immnuodeficiency Virus Infection Among Gay and Bisexual Male College Students

Abstract

Objective: To examine human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in at-risk college men who have sex with men (MSM), focusing on knowledge about acute HIV infection (AHI). Participants and Methods: A one-time anonymous survey was administered to college students attending a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer conference in February 2012. This article reports on a study subsample of MSM. Results: A total of 100 MSM completed the survey. Participants had an average age of 20.4 years. Sixty-six percent reported condom use the last time they had sex. Only 46% had ever heard of symptoms related to AHI. Forty-two percent would likely seek medical care when showing acute symptoms in a setting consistent with AHI. Conclusion: Despite having multiple risk factors for HIV infection, many MSM college students are unaware of AHI. HIV prevention programs should target this population and include information about signs, symptoms, and diagnosis of AHI.

Keywords:

• clinical medicine
• community health
• health education

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research has been supported by Rhode Island Public Health Institute and facilitated by the infrastructure and resources provided by the Lifespan/Tufts/Brown Center for AIDS Research (grant number P30AI042853 from the National Institute of Allergy And Infectious Diseases). Philip A. Chan is supported by a grant (1K23AI096923-01) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. The authors wish to thank Dominic Wu for his invaluable assistance with survey instrument development and participant recruitment.