J Hoyos1, T Maté2, B I Indave3, C Agustí1,4, S Chanos5, F Pichon6, M Kuske7, B Cigan8, R Fuertes9, L Ooms10, R Stefanescu11, C Cabeza de Vaca12, B Arranz3, L de la Fuente1,3, M J Belza1,12. 1. CIBER Epidemiologia y Salud Publica (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain. 2. Primary Health Care Management of East Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain. 3. Institute of Health Carlos III, Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Madrid, Spain. 4. Departament de Salut, Centre Estudis Epidemiologics sobre les Infeccions de Transmissio Sexual i Sida de Catalunya (CEEISCAT), Generalitat de Catalunya, Badalona, Spain. 5. Checkpoint Athens, Athens, Greece. 6. AIDS Fondet, Copenhaguen, Denmark. 7. AIDS Hilfe NRW e.V., Berlin, Germany. 8. Legebitra, Ljubljana, Slovenia. 9. GAT-Grupo de Ativistas em Tratamentos, Lisboa, Portugal. 10. Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. 11. ARAS-Asociatia Romana Anti-SIDA, Bucharest, Romania. 12. Institute of Health Carlos III, Escuela Nacional de Sanidad, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
AIM: To describe the knowledge as well as current and potential use of self-sampling kits among men who have sex with men (MSM) and to analyse their preferred biological sample and result communication method. METHODS: We analyse data of MSM of HIV negative or unknown serostatus from an online survey conducted in eight countries (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain) between April and December 2016. It was advertised mainly in gay dating websites. We conduct a descriptive analysis of the main characteristics of the participants, and present data on indicators of knowledge, use and potential use of HIV self-sampling as well as their preferences regarding blood or saliva sample and face or non-face-to-face result communication by country of residence. RESULTS: A total of 8.226 participants of HIV negative or unknown serostatus were included in the analysis. Overall, 25.5% of participants knew about self-sampling (range: 18.8-47.2%) and 1.1% had used it in the past (range: 0.3-8.9%). Potential use was high, with 66.6% of all participants reporting that they would have already used it if available in the past (range: 62.1-82.1%). Most (78.6%) reported that they would prefer using a blood-based kit, and receiving the result of the test through a non-face-to-face-method (70.8%), even in the case of receiving a reactive result. CONCLUSION: The high potential use reported by MSM recruited in eight different European countries suggests that self-sampling kits are a highly acceptable testing methodology that could contribute to the promotion of HIV testing in this population.
AIM: To describe the knowledge as well as current and potential use of self-sampling kits among men who have sex with men (MSM) and to analyse their preferred biological sample and result communication method. METHODS: We analyse data of MSM of HIV negative or unknown serostatus from an online survey conducted in eight countries (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain) between April and December 2016. It was advertised mainly in gay dating websites. We conduct a descriptive analysis of the main characteristics of the participants, and present data on indicators of knowledge, use and potential use of HIV self-sampling as well as their preferences regarding blood or saliva sample and face or non-face-to-face result communication by country of residence. RESULTS: A total of 8.226 participants of HIV negative or unknown serostatus were included in the analysis. Overall, 25.5% of participants knew about self-sampling (range: 18.8-47.2%) and 1.1% had used it in the past (range: 0.3-8.9%). Potential use was high, with 66.6% of all participants reporting that they would have already used it if available in the past (range: 62.1-82.1%). Most (78.6%) reported that they would prefer using a blood-based kit, and receiving the result of the test through a non-face-to-face-method (70.8%), even in the case of receiving a reactive result. CONCLUSION: The high potential use reported by MSM recruited in eight different European countries suggests that self-sampling kits are a highly acceptable testing methodology that could contribute to the promotion of HIV testing in this population.
Authors: Juan Hoyos; Tomás Maté; Juan-Miguel Guerras; Marta Donat; Cristina Agustí; Matthias Kuske; Ricardo Fuertes; Sophocles Chanos; Francois Pichon; Luis Sordo; José Pulido; María-José Belza Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-04-30 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: J Hoyos; J M Guerras; K Koutentakis; L de la Fuente; J Pulido; L Sordo; F Vallejo; M J Belza Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2020-12-04 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Tomás Maté; Juan Hoyos; Juan Miguel Guerras; Cristina Agustí; Sophocles Chanos; Matthias Kuske; Ricardo Fuertes; Roxana Stefanescu; Jose Pulido; Luis Sordo; Luis de la Fuente; María José Belza Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2020-11-30 Impact factor: 5.428
Authors: Gamji M'Rabiu Abubakari; DeAnne Turner; Zhao Ni; Donaldson F Conserve; Debbie Dada; Amma Otchere; Yaw Amanfoh; Francis Boakye; Kwasi Torpey; LaRon E Nelson Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2021-06-11