Development of a measure of barriers to HIV testing among individuals at high risk.

Rates of HIV antibody testing remain at approximately 45% of the general population. To more effectively design interventions to increase testing, comprehensive information is needed to understand the barriers to HIV testing. A measure of barriers to HIV testing was developed using the major barriers identified in the literature on barriers to health care utilization (Melnyk, 1988), and tested with a diverse group of individuals at high risk for HIV, including heterosexuals, men who have sex with men, injected drug users, and sex workers. An exploratory factor analysis indicated that the factor structure was replicated over 2 years of data collection. Three factors--Structural Barriers, Fatalism/Confidentiality Concerns, and Fear--emerged for both years. The reliabilities ranged from .75 to .87, indicating moderate to high internal consistency.