Ayosanmi Oluwasola Stephen, Oden Lorette, Ayosanmi Titilope, Alli Babatunde Y, Wen Mei, Johnson Jamie
Department of Health Sciences and Social Works, Western Illinois University, USA.
Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Canada.
Int J MCH AIDS. 2020;9(3):297-305. doi: 10.21106/ijma.351. Epub 2020 Jul 12.
HIV transmission from persons unaware of their HIV status occurs more commonly than those who are aware of their status. Knowledge of one's HIV status may encourage preventive behaviors. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many international students may be willing to accept HIV screening, but empirical evidence to support this claim is lacking. We sought to determine the willingness of international students in the United States (US) to accept HIV screening, if offered.
We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online survey of international students at Western Illinois University, USA. The independent variable was the sociodemographic data of our participants; the dependent variable was the acceptance of HIV screening. The covariates were knowledge about HIV and the factors associated with the acceptance of the screening. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis were conducted.
A total of 185 respondents out of 491 students participated in the online survey. Of these, 107 (57.8%) were males, and 78 (42.8%) were females. Most of the respondents were from Asian countries (64.9%) and African countries (24.9%). The prevalence of acceptance of HIV screening was 74%. Among participants willing to accept screening, if offered, 90% perceived screening would be beneficial to their health. Meanwhile, 83% of those who would refuse the screening were not sexually active.
Many international students may be interested in getting HIV screening if offered. Awareness of the benefits of HIV screening may influence the decision to screen. Findings may inform further studies that will lead to policy formulations for the health of international students in the US.
与已知自身感染艾滋病毒状况的人相比，不知自己感染状况的人传播艾滋病毒的情况更为常见。知晓自身的艾滋病毒感染状况可能会促使人们采取预防行为。轶事证据表明，许多国际学生可能愿意接受艾滋病毒检测，但缺乏支持这一说法的实证证据。我们试图确定美国的国际学生在有机会时接受艾滋病毒检测的意愿。
我们在美国西伊利诺伊大学对国际学生进行了一项在线调查的横断面研究。自变量是参与者的社会人口统计学数据；因变量是对艾滋病毒检测的接受情况。协变量是关于艾滋病毒的知识以及与接受检测相关的因素。进行了描述性统计和多变量分析。
491名学生中有185名受访者参与了在线调查。其中，107名（57.8%）为男性，78名（42.8%）为女性。大多数受访者来自亚洲国家（64.9%）和非洲国家（24.9%）。接受艾滋病毒检测的比例为74%。在愿意接受检测（如果有机会）的参与者中，90%认为检测对他们的健康有益。同时，拒绝检测的人中83%没有性活动。
如果有机会，许多国际学生可能有兴趣接受艾滋病毒检测。对艾滋病毒检测益处的认识可能会影响检测的决定。研究结果可能为进一步的研究提供信息，从而为美国国际学生的健康制定政策。
