HIV Testing Rates and Testing Locations, by Race and Ethnicity

The purpose of this study is to report the HIV testing rates among white Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans and to identify the frequency of use of HIV testing locations according to a variety of sociodemographic variables. Data for this study came from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Participants in the BRFSS were recruited from residential households in the United States through an ongoing, random-digit-dial telephone survey. Results showed that 40 percent of all participants had been tested for HIV and that HIV testing rates significantly differed by racial-ethnic group. Gender and income were not significant factors for HIV testing rates among African Americans. Marital status was not a significant factor for Hispanics. Overall, 41 percent of the sample had been tested at a private doctor's office or HMO facility, and 24 percent had been tested at a clinic. Hispanics were the only group more likely to have been tested at a clinic. Recommendations for increasing rates of testing among all racial-ethnic groups based on testing locations are explored. Implications of the findings that certain racial-ethnic groups are reporting higher rates of HIV testing and higher rates of new HIV infections are discussed.