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Selected Works of David Bangsberg
Article
Actual vs. Perceived HIV Testing Norms, and Personal HIV Testing Uptake: A Cross-sectional, Population-based Study in Rural Uganda
AIDS and Behavior
  • Jessica M. Perkins, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Viola N. Nyakato, Mbarara University of Science and Technology
  • Bernard Kakuhikire, Mbarara University of Science and Technology
  • Pamela K. Mbabazi, Uganda National Council for Science & Technology
  • H. Wesley Perkins, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
  • Alexander C. Tsai, Center for Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  • SV Subramanian, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, MA
  • Nicholas A. Christakis, Yale Institute for Network Science
  • David Bangsberg, Portland State University
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Document Type
Post-Print
Publication Date
1-1-2018
Subjects
  • Antiretroviral therapy,
  • AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Testing
Disciplines
Abstract

HIV testing is an essential part of treatment and prevention. Using population-based data from 1664 adults across eight villages in rural Uganda, we assessed individuals’ perception of the norm for HIV testing uptake in their village and compared it to the actual uptake norm. In addition, we examined how perception of the norm was associated with personal testing while adjusting for other factors. Although the majority of people had been tested for HIV across all villages, slightly more than half of men and women erroneously thought that the majority in their village had never been tested. They underestimated the prevalence of HIV testing uptake by 42 percentage points (s.d. = 17 percentage points), on average. Among men, perceiving that HIV testing was not normative was associated with never testing for HIV (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.7–4.0, p < 0.001). Results suggest an opportunity for interventions to emphasize the commonness of HIV testing uptake.

Description

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: "Actual vs. Perceived HIV Testing Norms, and Personal HIV Testing Uptake: A Cross-sectional, Population-based Study in Rural Uganda," AIDS and Behavior, 2018. which has been published in final form at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1691-z This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Springer Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.

© 2018 Springer

Locate the Document

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1691-z

DOI
10.1007/s10461-017-1691-z
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/29677
Publisher
Springer
Citation Information
Published as: Perkins, J. M., Nyakato, V. N., Kakuhikire, B., Mbabazi, P. K., Perkins, H. W., Tsai, A. C., ... & Bangsberg, D. R. (2018). Actual versus perceived HIV testing norms, and personal HIV testing uptake: a cross-sectional, population-based study in rural Uganda. AIDS and Behavior, 22(2), 616-628.