Remaining Gap in Hiv Testing Uptake Among Female Sex Workers in Iran Publisher Pubmed



Shokoohi M^{1, 2} ; Noori A¹ ; Karamouzian M^{1, 3} ; Sharifi H¹ ; Khajehkazemi R^{1, 4} ; Fahimfar N⁶ ; Hosseinihooshyar S¹ ; Kazerooni PA⁵ ; Mirzazadeh A^{1, 7}
Source: AIDS and Behavior Published:2017

Abstract

We estimated the prevalence of recent HIV testing (i.e., having an HIV test during the last 12 months and knew the results) among 1295 HIV-negative Iranian female sex workers (FSW) in 2015. Overall, 70.4% (95% confidence intervals: 59.6, 79.3) of the participants reported a recent HIV testing. Concerns about their HIV status (83.2%) was reported as the most common reason for HIV testing. Incarceration history, having >5 paying partners, having >1 non-paying partner, receiving harm reduction services, utilizing healthcare services, and knowing an HIV testing site were significantly associated with recent HIV testing. In contrast, outreach participants, having one non-paying sexual partner, and self-reported inconsistent condom use reduced the likelihood of recent HIV testing. HIV testing uptake showed a ~2.5 times increase among FSW since 2010. While these findings are promising and show improvement over a short period, HIV testing programs should be expanded particularly through mobile and outreach efforts. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.