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Just under 5000 self-test kits were requested in a six-week period, but more advertising would certainly have generated more requests, presenter Cary James said. The pilot showed that the service is feasible and acceptable for gay men in the UK. The test-ordering webpages were optimised for use on a mobile phone and 85% of orders were made on a mobile.
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Its service involved free provision of self-testing kits to gay men who responded to advertising on social media, dating apps and the organisation’s own website. The conference also heard the experience of Terrence Higgins Trust, a community organisation in the United Kingdom. The study adds to the findings of another randomised controlled trial, reported a year ago, which found that a similar programme doubled the frequency of HIV testing in Australian gay men. Sexual behaviour was similar in the two groups, with a mean of nine sexual partners during the year in each group and no differences in terms of anal sex without a condom. While 72% of those testing positive in the intervention group linked to care, 91% of those in the control group did so, but this difference was not statistically significant. (If the provision of self-testing only boosted testing rates in those at low risk of HIV, it would not have this effect.) Twenty-two men in the intervention group were diagnosed with HIV during the year, compared with 11 in the control group, a statistically significant difference. The provision of self-tests also helped men be diagnosed with HIV. Self-testing kits for sexually transmitted infections are not yet available. This would have the advantage of reducing the overall cost of providing HIV tests, but with the disadvantage that men relying on self-tests would be unlikely to be screened as frequently for sexually transmitted infections. Those in the intervention group took fewer tests in health facilities (mean 0.9) than those in the control group (mean 1.5). Completion rates were similar in the intervention and control groups, with on average 58% completing each survey and 72% of participants completing at least one of the surveys. Participants randomised to the control group did not receive anything.Īll participants were asked to complete online surveys every three months. Further kits could be requested during the year. Half the participants were randomised to receive four self-testing kits in the mail at the beginning of the year: two of the kits were OraQuick oral fluid tests and two were Sure Check finger-prick blood tests.
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Those who had already used self-testing tended to be older, more affluent and have riskier sexual behaviour. Of note, 10% had previously used a self-test, usually obtained online or from a pharmacy. While 17% had never tested for HIV and 23% had not tested in the last year (groups which new testing interventions aim to reach), 60% had tested in the last year. in terms of age, gender, CD4 count and years since diagnosis). This isn’t a problem as long as the characteristics of the sample are similar to those of the wider group (e.g. Because it is impractical to conduct a study with such a large group, only a sub-group (a sample) takes part in a study. Studies aim to give information that will be applicable to a large group of people (e.g. The advertising engaged a relatively affluent sample – most participants were employed (85%), were educated beyond high school (84%) and had health insurance (81%). The average age of participants was 30 years and 58% were white, 10% were black, 23% Hispanic, and 9% other or mixed race. Recruitment advertising appeared on social media, dating websites and music websites. In 2015, the project recruited 2665 men who have sex with men.
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He was reporting the results of eSTAMP (Evaluation of HIV Self-testing Among MSM Project), a randomised controlled trial conducted with gay and bisexual men in the United States. There was significantly more HIV testing in the intervention group: 79% reported testing for HIV at least three times during the year, compared to 22% in the control group. Providing free HIV self-testing kits to gay and bisexual men is an effective way to increase the frequency with which men test for HIV and the number of new HIV diagnoses, Robin MacGowan of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told the 9th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2017) in Paris, France, today.