Abstract
Objective: This study documents the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing in a sample of college students and examines associated demographic and behavioral characteristics. Participants: College students aged 18 or older were randomly selected to participate in a health behavior survey at a southeastern university in September 2011. Methods: Only sexually active students were included (N = 905). Relationships between demographic and sexual behavior characteristics were explored using logistic regression and classification regression tree (p ≤.05). Results: Only 36.2% reported having been tested for HIV. Age was the most significant factor associated with testing. Factors associated with those least likely to be tested were race and anal sexual activity. Unsafe sexual behaviors were also associated with lower rates of HIV testing. Conclusions: Findings support the need for targeted HIV interventions on college campuses. Such interventions need to be tailored for at-risk students and take into consideration factors likely to contribute to HIV testing.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 309-318 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of American College Health |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 4 2014 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by the Applied Statistics Lab and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) at the University of Kentucky. The CCTS is supported by grant UL1RR033173 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), funded by the Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and supported by the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR and NIH.
Funding
This study was supported by the Applied Statistics Lab and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) at the University of Kentucky. The CCTS is supported by grant UL1RR033173 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), funded by the Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and supported by the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR and NIH.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | |
| National Center for Research Resources | UL1RR033173 |
| National Center for Research Resources | |
| Office of the Director | |
| University of Kentucky | |
| Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Illinois at Chicago | |
| Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Utah |
Keywords
- College students
- HIV testing
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Prevention
- Risky behavior
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
