Predictors of HIV testing and intention to test among Hispanic farmworkers in South Florida

This study examined the predictors of HIV testing and factors associated with intention to accept a free HIV test among 244 Hispanic migrant/seasonal farmworkers in South Florida.

Time and space sampling procedures were used to recruit participants in public venues. Bilingual staff interviewed eligible respondents in these settings.

Despite high rates of sexual risk, only 21% of respondents had been tested for HIV. The majority of those tested were females tested during prenatal care. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, being female (odds ratio [OR] = 3.73), having at least 12 years of education (OR = 4.46), earning more than $201 per week (OR = 2.76), and ever having used marijuana (OR = 3.31) were positively associated with having been tested for HIV, while not being documented (OR = 0.24) and having rated one's health as "very good" or "good" (OR = 0.42) were negatively associated with testing. The multivariable predictors of intention to accept a free HIV test were having visited a health care provider and/or an emergency room in the past 12 months (OR = 1.97), having been tested for HIV (OR = 2.36), preferring an HIV test that used a finger stick for specimen collection with results given in 30 minutes (OR = 4.47), and worrying "some" or "a lot" about getting HIV (OR = 3.64). Women (OR = 0.52) were less likely than men to intend to accept a free HIV test.

Our findings highlight the importance of routinely offering HIV testing to sexually active individuals in high HIV prevalence areas. They also suggest the need to make testing more accessible to migrant and seasonal farmworkers.