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Geospatial Prioritization to Reach Hispanic or Latino and Other Priority Populations Through HIV Home Testing
Elizabeth M Rosenthal1, James M Tesoriero, Susan M Flavin
1AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York.
Insights
The New York State HIV Home Test Giveaway successfully reached Hispanic or Latino men who have sex with men, increasing HIV testing uptake. This program is a valuable tool for national HIV prevention efforts.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- HIV/AIDS Research
Background:
- Hispanic or Latino men who have sex with men (HLMSM) face disproportionately high HIV rates in New York State (NYS).
- HIV home testing programs are proven to increase HIV testing frequency and reach key populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the NYS HIV Home Test Giveaway (HHTG) in reaching priority populations, including HLMSM.
- To assess the uptake of HIV home testing services and identify new HIV infections within these groups.
Main Methods:
- Participants were recruited via media campaigns linked to a self-administered eligibility survey.
- Eligible individuals received a code for a free HIV home test and completed a follow-up survey 4-11 weeks later.
Main Results:
- The HHTG program in 2018 and 2019 reached over 1200 participants each year.
- Hispanic or Latino individuals participated at rates significantly higher than their proportion in prioritized zip codes.
- Approximately 88-90% of participants used the provided test kits, with a 1% seropositivity rate for new HIV infections.
Conclusions:
- Geospatial prioritization effectively reached Hispanic or Latino priority populations for HIV testing.
- HIV self-testing programs like the HHTG are effective for reaching priority populations and supporting national HIV prevention goals.
Context:
Hispanic or Latino men who have sex with men (HLMSM) are disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York State (NYS) and nationally. In 2019, HLMSM comprised 13% of all new diagnoses and 21% of new diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) in NYS excluding New York City. HIV home testing programs are effective methods for increasing HIV testing.
Objective:
This pilot sought to determine whether the NYS HIV Home Test Giveaway (HHTG) can effectively reach priority populations, specifically HLMSM/transgender/gender nonconforming persons who have sex with men, to increase uptake of HIV home testing services and identify new HIV infections.
Design/Setting:
We recruited participants using media campaigns linked to a brief self-administered eligibility survey. Eligible participants provided their e-mail address to receive a code for a free HIV home test and were sent a self-administered follow-up survey 4 to 11 weeks after eligibility survey completion.
Participants:
The 2018 and 2019 NYS HHTG reached 1214 and 1340 participants, respectively. A total of 606 participants in 2018 and 736 participants in 2019 were eligible to receive the HHTG home test kit.
Main Outcome Measures:
HHTG utilization and test results.
Results:
Hispanic or Latino persons participated at higher rates (34.8% and 25.4% in 2018 and 2019, respectively) than the percentage of Hispanic men in prioritized zip codes (15.7% and 15.6% in 2018 and 2019, respectively). The majority of participants who received HHTG test kits used them to test themselves (87.5% in 2018 and 90.6% in 2019). Across both rounds, 4 participants reported new HIV-positive results, for a seropositivity rate of approximately 1%.
Conclusion:
Geospatial prioritization was successful in reaching Hispanic or Latino priority populations for HIV testing. HIV self-testing programs such as the HHTG are beneficial methods to reach priority populations for state and national Ending the HIV Epidemic initiatives.
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