Actual vs. Perceived HIV Testing Norms, and Personal HIV Testing Uptake: A Cross-sectional, Population-based Study in Rural Uganda

Authors

Jessica M. Perkins, Massachusetts General Hospital
Viola N. Nyakato, Mbarara University of Science and Technology
Bernard Kakuhikire, Mbarara University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Pamela K. Mbabazi, Uganda National Council for Science & Technology
H. Wesley Perkins, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Alexander C. Tsai, Center for Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USAFollow
SV Subramanian, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, MA
Nicholas A. Christakis, Yale Institute for Network ScienceFollow
David Bangsberg, Portland State UniversityFollow

Published In

AIDS and Behavior

Document Type

Post-Print

Publication Date

2018

Subjects

Antiretroviral therapy, AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Testing

Abstract

HIV testing is an essential part of treatment and prevention. Using population-based data from 1664 adults across eight villages in rural Uganda, we assessed individuals’ perception of the norm for HIV testing uptake in their village and compared it to the actual uptake norm. In addition, we examined how perception of the norm was associated with personal testing while adjusting for other factors. Although the majority of people had been tested for HIV across all villages, slightly more than half of men and women erroneously thought that the majority in their village had never been tested. They underestimated the prevalence of HIV testing uptake by 42 percentage points (s.d. = 17 percentage points), on average. Among men, perceiving that HIV testing was not normative was associated with never testing for HIV (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.7–4.0, p < 0.001). Results suggest an opportunity for interventions to emphasize the commonness of HIV testing uptake.

Description

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: "Actual vs. Perceived HIV Testing Norms, and Personal HIV Testing Uptake: A Cross-sectional, Population-based Study in Rural Uganda," AIDS and Behavior, 2018. which has been published in final form at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1691-z This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Springer Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.

© 2018 Springer

Locate the Document

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1691-z

DOI

10.1007/s10461-017-1691-z

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/29677

Publisher

Springer

Citation Details

Published as: Perkins, J. M., Nyakato, V. N., Kakuhikire, B., Mbabazi, P. K., Perkins, H. W., Tsai, A. C., ... & Bangsberg, D. R. (2018). Actual versus perceived HIV testing norms, and personal HIV testing uptake: a cross-sectional, population-based study in rural Uganda. AIDS and Behavior, 22(2), 616-628.