Abstract
New HIV infections associated with injection drug use are of major concern in rural US communities. This study explores acceptability of, consent for, and uptake of free at-home HIV testing among people who use drugs (PWUD) in one of the nation’s epicenters for drug-related harms and HIV vulnerability: Rural Central Appalachia. Eligible participants were 18–35 years old, lived in Appalachian Kentucky, and reported using opioids to get high in the previous 30 days. A majority reported being likely (63.6%, 96/151) to take a free at-home HIV tests and 66.9% (101/151) consented to receive one. Among those who were randomly selected to receive a Home Access HIV-1 test kit (n = 37), 37.8% mailed in blood spots and 21.6% called to receive results. This study provides evidence that PWUD may be willing to take an at-home test, but other barriers may inhibit actual completion.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 699-708 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | AIDS and Behavior |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Keywords
- HIV
- Home-based testing
- Rural health
- Substance-related disorders
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases