HIV test locations and information received by MSM and heterosexual men and women

Objective: In recent years access to the HIV test, especially the rapid test, has widened into healthcare settings and non-traditional settings, leading to differences in counseling received. We examined types of places where MSM and heterosexual men and women received their most recent HIV test and the information received as part of their test. Method: We interviewed 451 MSM recruited in 65 locations in Philadelphia. 1281 heterosexual men and women were recruited from randomly chosen locations in 10 zip codes in Philadelphia with the highest HIV rates. This analysis is limited to 265 MSM, 389 heterosexual men and 175 heterosexual women who tested in past 2 years and were HIV negative. We assessed location of most recent HIV test and information received concerning: when to test again, HIV prevention and explanation of test results. Results: Fifty-seven percent of the heterosexual sample tested in the past 2 years compared to 66% of MSM. MSM tested at HIV organizations (35%) and private doctors' offices (27%). Almost a third of women (30%) tested at family planning agencies and 28% tested in hospital settings. Heterosexual men primarily tested in hospital settings (33%) and high-risk settings (32%). Overall, women were significantly more likely than heterosexual men to receive HIV prevention and testing information. Conclusions: MSM were more likely than heterosexual men and women to test at HIV organizations, where most received appropriate information about HIV. With testing moving to non-traditional locations, procedures should be in place to provide information especially to new testers.