Willingness to undergo HIV testing among factory workers in Surabaya, Indonesia

The objective of this study is to investigate workers' perceptions of HIV testing in the workplace in Indonesia. In a cross-sectional study, we used a self-administered questionnaire in Surabaya, Indonesia. A convenient sample of 536 workers was chosen from two factories with similar sample characteristics from March through June 2008. Of these workers, 433 (response rate: 80.8%) answered questions about their willingness to undergo HIV testing. More than 40% of workers were willing to undergo HIV testing. Not knowing where to get tested (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.40, confidence interval [CI] = 0.18-0.89) and not feeling the need to be tested for HIV (AOR = 0.02, CI = 0.01-0.04) were negatively associated with willingness to undergo HIV testing. HIV prevention in the workplace needs to reach out to individuals who are not willing to undergo HIV testing - workers unaware of where to get tested for HIV and not feeling the need to get tested - through education, information, and communication in the workplace in light of the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV. High-impact voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) strategies need to be quickly developed to improve HIV prevention and access to care in the workplace.