Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Box 2240, Moshi, Tanzania.
Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Box 3010, Moshi, Tanzania.
AIDS Res Ther. 2020 Sep 9;17(1):56. doi: 10.1186/s12981-020-00311-1.
BACKGROUND: HIV Self-Testing (HIVST) is universally accepted as an innovative strategy complimenting existing HIV testing services to archive the UNAIDS, 95-95-95 goals by 2030. However, the adoption of HIVST is lagging in most sub-Saharan countries, including Tanzania. This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge, acceptability, and willingness to use HIVST among Medical students in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study using a self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was conducted from May to June 2019 among 271 medical students aged 18-44 years enrolled in a degree of Medicine course at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College. RESULTS: A total of 271 participants were enrolled (response rate of 100%). The mean age was 23.9 (SD 2.9), the majority (91%) were Christians, being single (92%), and a half (50.2%) were males. More than half (55.7%) was sexually active, 67.5% reported the age of first sexual debut at 19 years and above. The majority (81.5%) reported that they had one sexual partner, 37% used condoms during the last sexual act. The majority (98.7%) had never had a sexually transmitted disease during the past 3 months, 22.5% reported using alcohol when having sex. More than three-quarters (79%) ever tested for HIV, and 41.6% tested for HIV in the past year. More than two-thirds (67.9%) had a high level of knowledge on oral fluid HIV self-test. Being a female was related with high level of knowledge (P = 0.225). The acceptability of HIVST was 62.7%, and about two-thirds showed a willingness to buy a self-test kit if available for public use. CONCLUSIONS: The high level of knowledge on oral fluid HIV self-testing, acceptability and willingness to buy self-test kit if available for public use among sexually active medical students underscores the importance of introducing HIVST as a complementary approach for existing HIV testing services in this setting. To make HIVST effective, interventionist should address concerns associated with self-testing, such as lack of pre and post-test counseling, suicidal risks after receiving HIV positive results, perceived risks of inaccurate HIVST test results, lack of linkage to care of individuals receiving HIV positive results, perceived risks of intimate partner violence, coercive testing of a female partner, and perceived high cost of buying self-test kits.
背景:艾滋病病毒自我检测(HIVST)被普遍认为是一种创新策略,可补充现有的艾滋病病毒检测服务,以实现联合国艾滋病规划署到 2030 年实现 95-95-95 目标。然而,在包括坦桑尼亚在内的大多数撒哈拉以南非洲国家,HIVST 的采用率滞后。本研究旨在确定坦桑尼亚乞力马扎罗地区医学生对 HIVST 的知识水平、可接受性和使用意愿。
方法:2019 年 5 月至 6 月,采用自我管理、半结构式问卷对 271 名 18-44 岁、在 Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College 攻读医学学位的医学生进行了描述性横断面研究。
结果:共纳入 271 名参与者(应答率为 100%)。平均年龄为 23.9(SD 2.9),大多数(91%)为基督教徒,单身(92%),一半(50.2%)为男性。超过一半(55.7%)有过性行为,67.5%报告首次性行为年龄在 19 岁及以上。大多数(81.5%)报告有一个性伴侣,37%在最近一次性行为中使用了避孕套。大多数(98.7%)在过去 3 个月内从未患有性传播疾病,22.5%报告在发生性行为时使用酒精。超过四分之三(79%)的人曾接受过 HIV 检测,41.6%的人在过去一年中接受过 HIV 检测。超过三分之二(67.9%)的人对口腔液 HIV 自我检测有较高的认识。女性与高水平的知识相关(P=0.225)。HIVST 的可接受性为 62.7%,如果公开发售自我检测试剂盒,约三分之二的人表示愿意购买。
结论:在性活跃的医学生中,对口腔液 HIV 自我检测的高水平认识、可接受性以及如果公开发售自我检测试剂盒就购买的意愿,突显了在这一环境中引入 HIVST 作为现有 HIV 检测服务补充方法的重要性。为了使 HIVST 有效,干预者应解决与自我检测相关的问题,如缺乏检测前和检测后咨询、接受 HIV 阳性结果后自杀风险、对 HIVST 检测结果不准确的感知风险、缺乏对接受 HIV 阳性结果的个人进行护理联系、对亲密伴侣暴力的感知风险、对女性伴侣的强制检测以及对购买自我检测试剂盒费用高的感知风险。
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