Abstract
Objectives: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are known risk factors for HIV transmission in the US, but the relationship of ACEs and the likelihood of HIV screening in the US has yet to be investigated. We also investigate relations of HIV screening and sex, sexual orientation, race, and education.
Methods: Using data from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) dataset, we constructed logistic regression models to determine the likelihood of men and women reporting to have received HIV testing and their past history of ACEs, adjusting for age, sex, sexual orientation, HIV risk, race, education, and healthcare coverage.
Results: Compared to individuals reporting no ACES, individuals reporting 1 to 3 ACES were significantly more likely to be tested for HIV— the adjusted odds for women being 1.72 (95%CI:1.63-1.83) and for men being 1.52 (95%CI:1.35-1.71) controlling for sexual orientation, HIV risk, healthcare coverage, age, race, and education. The odds increased by nearly 100% among both sexes for those reporting 4 or more ACES. Testing was not significantly associated with education among women; however, men with a college or technical degree were more likely to have been tested for HIV (AOR: 1.28; 95%CI: 1.04-1.58). Among women, those identifying as lesbian and bisexual were most likely to have been tested, 60.5% and 59.5% respectively. A greater disparity in screening existed among men identifying as gay (79.7%) or bisexual (53.1%). A majority of Black, Native, and Hispanic people, and those reporting race as ‘other’ reported having been tested for HIV, while less than 40% of White and Asian Americans reported being tested.
Conclusions: Our study suggests that US individuals with ACEs are more likely to report being screened for HIV, which may reflect clinical detection of ACEs as risk factors for HIV
Methods: Using data from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) dataset, we constructed logistic regression models to determine the likelihood of men and women reporting to have received HIV testing and their past history of ACEs, adjusting for age, sex, sexual orientation, HIV risk, race, education, and healthcare coverage.
Results: Compared to individuals reporting no ACES, individuals reporting 1 to 3 ACES were significantly more likely to be tested for HIV— the adjusted odds for women being 1.72 (95%CI:1.63-1.83) and for men being 1.52 (95%CI:1.35-1.71) controlling for sexual orientation, HIV risk, healthcare coverage, age, race, and education. The odds increased by nearly 100% among both sexes for those reporting 4 or more ACES. Testing was not significantly associated with education among women; however, men with a college or technical degree were more likely to have been tested for HIV (AOR: 1.28; 95%CI: 1.04-1.58). Among women, those identifying as lesbian and bisexual were most likely to have been tested, 60.5% and 59.5% respectively. A greater disparity in screening existed among men identifying as gay (79.7%) or bisexual (53.1%). A majority of Black, Native, and Hispanic people, and those reporting race as ‘other’ reported having been tested for HIV, while less than 40% of White and Asian Americans reported being tested.
Conclusions: Our study suggests that US individuals with ACEs are more likely to report being screened for HIV, which may reflect clinical detection of ACEs as risk factors for HIV
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 162 - 168 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | The Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association |
| Volume | 114 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| State | Published - Jul 2021 |
Keywords
- BRFSS
- HIV Testing
- adverse childhood experiences