180504 Correlates of HIV/STD Testing Behavior and Willingness to Test among Chinese Rural-to-Urban Migrants

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 1:00 PM

Bo Wang, PhD , Department of Community Health Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
Xiaoming Li, PhD , Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Vafa Kamali, PhD , Department of Community Health Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
Bonita Stanton, MD , Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
James McGuire, PhD , Department of Community Health Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
Susan Dobson, MPH , Department of Community Health Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
Objective: Few studies have examined factors associated with HIV/STD testing. This study aimed to investigate psychosocial, behavioral, and structural correlates of HIV/STD testing and willingness to test among Chinese rural-to-urban migrants.

Methods: Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey among migrants in two large Chinese cities in 2002. Participants were recruited at workplaces and interviewed using structural questionnaires. In total, 1938 sexually active migrants were included in this study. Multiple logistic regression were used to analyze HIV/STD testing and willingness to test for HIV/STD.

Results: Overall, 6% of participants had ever tested for HIV infection, while 14% had tested for STDs. The results of multivariate analyses indicate that young age, working at entertainment sectors, higher income, greater AIDS knowledge, sexual risk behavior (e.g., selling/paying for sex), drug use, selling blood, peer sexual risk involvement, perceived vulnerability to HIV/STD, and poor access to health services were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of HIV/STD testing. Ethnicity, higher mobility, and satisfaction with life and work were associated with HIV testing only. Similar factors were associated with willingness to test for HIV and STD, which include higher education, unmarried status, having multiple sex partners, frequent condom use, and perceived vulnerability and severity to HIV/STD.

Conclusion: The low levels of HIV/STD testing suggest the potential for promoting testing among migrants. Interventions designed to increase AIDS knowledge, to raise the perception of vulnerability to HIV, and to improve access to health care may be effective in encouraging more HIV testing in this vulnerable population.

Learning Objectives:
report my research findings to the meeting and learn from colleagues' research work.

Keywords: Migrant Workers, HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conducted all statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript. I am the first author and corresponding author on this work.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: HIV and Asia: Emerging Issues
See more of: HIV/AIDS