Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Faculty of Medicine, University of Bunia, Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo.
BMC Infect Dis. 2024 Sep 30;24(1):1082. doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-09942-5.
HIV self-testing represents a convenient and confidential option for HIV testing-the present study aimed to assess the acceptability of blood versus saliva self-tests among key populations in Kisangani.
This study was an analytical cross-sectional study. Our sample size was 363 subjects. After obtaining their consent, we administered a questionnaire to participants. We asked participants to choose between blood and saliva self-testing. We defined the acceptability of the self-test (saliva or blood) as the intention to use the self-test using a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics were described by estimating proportions for categorical variables and means with standard deviations for symmetrically distributed quantitative variables. The variable of interest was the acceptability of self-testing, which was dichotomized (Very Likely/Unlikely). The corresponding endpoint was the proportion of participants accepting the self-test in HIV screening. A bivariate analysis was performed to determine factors related to the acceptability of the self-test, using Pearson's Chi-square (χ2) and ANOVA followed by 2-to-2 multiple comparisons (Bonferroni) for comparison of means and proportions. A progressive stepwise logistic regression model at the 5% threshold included variables with a bi-variate association.
The acceptability of the blood self-test was 71.6% compared to 28.4% for the saliva self-test. Factors associated with acceptability of the self-test were higher level of education aOR CI95%: 1.5(0.4-5.5) p = 0.006; non-use of condoms with casual partners aOR CI95%: 2.8(1.4-5) p = 0.003; knowledge of the type of self-test aOR CI95%:2.4(1.02-5.65) p = 0.043 and the obstacle to acceptability of the self-test was non-availability of the self-test aOR CI 95%: 18.9(6.5-54.9) p < 0.0001.
Our study showed that key populations in Kisangani preferred blood self-testing over saliva self-testing. Blood self-tests must be made available to key population groups, as this would improve access to testing for these populations, thus boosting the first UNAIDS target 95.
HIV 自我检测是一种方便且保密的 HIV 检测方式——本研究旨在评估基孔肯雅热检测中，基孔肯雅热关键人群对血液和唾液自我检测的可接受性。
这是一项分析性的横断面研究。我们的样本量为 363 名受试者。在获得他们的同意后，我们向参与者发放了一份问卷。我们让参与者在血液和唾液自我检测之间进行选择。我们将自我检测的可接受性（唾液或血液）定义为使用 5 点李克特量表进行自我检测的意愿。对于分类变量，我们使用估计的比例来描述描述性统计数据，对于对称分布的定量变量，我们使用平均值和标准差来描述。感兴趣的变量是自我检测的可接受性，将其分为（非常可能/不太可能）两类。相应的终点是参与者接受 HIV 筛查中自我检测的比例。使用 Pearson 卡方（χ2）进行单变量分析，对于均值和比例的比较使用 ANOVA 及随后的 2-2 多重比较（Bonferroni），确定与自我检测可接受性相关的因素。对于具有双变量关联的变量，使用 5%的阈值进行逐步逻辑回归模型。
血液自我检测的可接受性为 71.6%，而唾液自我检测的可接受性为 28.4%。与自我检测可接受性相关的因素包括更高的教育水平 aOR CI95%：1.5（0.4-5.5）p=0.006；与偶然伴侣不使用避孕套 aOR CI95%：2.8（1.4-5）p=0.003；对自我检测类型的了解 aOR CI95%：2.4（1.02-5.65）p=0.043；自我检测可接受性的障碍是自我检测不可用 aOR CI 95%：18.9（6.5-54.9）p<0.0001。
我们的研究表明，基桑加尼的关键人群更喜欢血液自我检测而不是唾液自我检测。必须向关键人群提供血液自我检测，因为这将改善这些人群的检测机会，从而推动联合国艾滋病规划署的第一个 95 目标。
