Analysis of factors associated with failure to return for an HIV-test result in The Gambia

Knowing one's HIV status is fundamental to the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS. However, HIV prevention is defeated if individuals who opt to be tested fail to return for their test result. Despite the burden of HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, regional studies on failure to return (FTR) for an HIV-test result are lacking. We investigated the factors associated with FTR in The Gambia, West Africa. FTR was analysed for 1 755 persons who attended an outpatient clinic during 2000 to 2009. Overall, the proportion of FTR was 30%. Logistic regression showed that FTR was significantly higher among males, individuals whose nationality was not Gambian, individuals with a history of condom use, and individuals who resided in an urban area. Persons who were younger than age 18 years and persons who had received some formal education were more likely to not return for the HIV-test result than were persons aged 40 years or older and persons without formal schooling. The results provide evidence for the need for appropriate strategies to increase the receipt of HIV-test results among people in the general population and among certain group profiles.