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Acceptability of Home‐Based Chlamydia And Gonorrhea Testing Among a National Sample Of Sexual Minority Young Adults
Author(s) -
McRee AnnieLaurie,
Esber Allahna,
Reiter Paul L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
perspectives on sexual and reproductive health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.818
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1931-2393
pISSN - 1538-6341
DOI - 10.1363/47e2715
Subject(s) - gonorrhea , medicine , demography , logistic regression , chlamydia , test (biology) , odds , thrush , young adult , sexual minority , public health , national survey of family growth , reproductive health , gerontology , psychology , family medicine , environmental health , sexual orientation , population , cervical cancer , family planning , social psychology , cancer , human papilloma virus , sociology , research methodology , biology , paleontology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , immunology , nursing
CONTEXT STDs are common among older adolescents and young adults; hence, STD screening is a public health priority. Home‐based STD testing could be a strategy to improve screening rates, particularly among at‐risk populations, including sexual minority (i.e., nonheterosexual) young adults. METHODS Data were collected from a national sample of 971 sexual minority young adults aged 18–26 through an online survey in the fall of 2013. Logistic regression analyses identified associations between respondents’ characteristics and their willingness to use a home‐based test for chlamydia and gonorrhea. RESULTS A greater proportion of men than of women were willing to use a home‐based STD test (81% vs. 68%). Willingness was more likely among gay than among bisexual men, among men insured through their parents than among the uninsured and among those who had had two or more sexual partners in the past year than among those who had had fewer (adjusted odds ratios, 2.0–2.2). Among men, students were less likely than the employed to report willingness for home‐based testing (0.4). Among women, willingness was more likely among those who reported at least two partners in the past year than among those who reported fewer (1.6). Overall, respondents’ most common concerns about home‐based STD testing regarded test accuracy, their ability to do the test correctly and their preference to see a doctor for testing. CONCLUSIONS Home‐based STD testing may be a promising strategy for screening sexual minority young adults; understanding correlates of willingness and young adults’ concerns may help inform self‐testing programs.