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HIV test-seeking before and after the restriction of anonymous testing in North Carolina
I Hertz-Picciotto1, L W Lee, C Hoyo
1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7400, USA.
Objectives:
This study assessed the impact on HIV test-seeking of North Carolina's restriction of anonymous testing to 18 of its 100 counties as of September 1, 1991.
Methods:
Trends from 4 months prerestriction to the 16-month restriction period in counties retaining vs counties eliminating anonymous testing were compared.
Results:
HIV testing increased throughout the state, but more rapidly where anonymous testing was retained than elsewhere: 64% vs 44%. These differences held for all sociodemographic subgroups and were most pronounced among adolescents and African Americans and other non-Whites.
Conclusions:
The data are consistent with a detrimental effect of elimination of anonymous testing, although confounding from differences in AIDS awareness or in repeat tests is possible.