HIV
testing in Victoria should be changed to a single visit to encourage
those gay men who were avoiding the test, according to research by Deakin
University.
The research found that gay men who had unprotected sex were not getting
tested for HIV because they feared the result; did not have any HIV-related
symptoms; and felt there was no urgency to do so.
Ron Gold, an Associate Professor with Deakin’s School of Psychology,
said it was important to improve the number of gay men being tested
for HIV because early detection led to a better prognosis.
Also, an estimated one-third of new infections were due to transmission
from gay men with undiagnosed HIV.
“Extensive testing for HIV is an important means of limiting the
epidemic,” Associate Professor Gold said.
Gay men currently have to return to a clinic a week or a fortnight
later to receive the result of a HIV test.
“A single visit to a clinic would encourage more testing by lessening
the inconvenience involved and, more importantly, reducing the stress
of waiting for a result,” Associate Professor Gold said.
The research involved a survey of 97 gay men at three Melbourne gay
bars who had not been tested for HIV for at least four years, including
69 who had never been tested.
Associate Professor Gold said the results had important implications
for health educators.
“Public health campaigns need to focus more on the treatment benefits
of early detection,” he said.
“Campaigns should also focus on ‘anticipated regret’
– getting gay men to focus on a time in the future when they might
not be able to reap the full benefits that early treatment may have
offered.”
HIV
testing in Victoria should be changed to a single visit to encourage
those gay men who were avoiding the test, according to research by Deakin
University.