Peer distribution of self-testing kits boosts HIV testing rates among youth

Distributing HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits among teens and young adults rapidly improves rates of HIV screening, a recent study has found.

The study included 5,351 participants (aged 16–24 years) who had received an HIVST kit over 129 days of distribution.  Majority of the participants (62 percent; n=3,319) chose to test themselves off-site, away from the distribution point. More than 6 in 10 were women.

Overall, 55 percent (n=2,933) of test results were included in the present analysis, 1 percent (n=23) of which turned out to be HIV reactive. Logistic regression analysis revealed that having previous knowledge of HIVST was a significant predictor of off-site testing, increasing such likelihood by over 20 percent (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.22, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.09–1.37).

Other predictors of off-site testing included being a woman (aOR, 1.16, 95 percent CI, 1.03–1.31), living on campus (aOR, 1.24, 95 percent CI, 1.09–1.40), and having used a condom during the last sexual encounter (aOR, 1.44, 95 percent CI, 1.26–1.65).

Meanwhile, study participants who had previously attended a vocational or teaching college, as opposed to a university, were more than twice as likely to present their off-site testing results (OR, 2.40, 95 percent CI, 1.65–3.48; p<0.001).

“Youth in sub-Saharan Africa are at a disproportionate risk of HIV acquisition. Provision of HIV self-testing in places where youth congregate increases access to testing and linkage to HIV treatment and prevention services by allowing youth to decide where and when to test themselves,” the researchers said.