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Ethnic Comparisons in HIV Testing Attitudes, HIV Testing, and Predictors of HIV Testing Among Black and White College Students

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Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

This study’s primary aim was to examine ethnic differences in predictors of HIV testing among Black and White college students. We also examined ethnic differences in sexual risk behaviors and attitudes toward the importance of HIV testing.

Participants/Method

An analytic sample of 126 Black and 617 White undergraduatestudents aged 18–24 were analyzed for a subset of responses on the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA II) (2012) pertaining to HIV testing, attitudes about the importance of HIV testing, and sexual risk behaviors. Predictors of HIV testing behavior were analyzed using logistic regression. t tests and chi-square tests were performed to access differences in HIV test history, testing attitudes, and sexual risk behaviors.

Results

Black students had more positive attitudes toward testing and were more likely to have been tested for HIV compared to White students. A greater number of sexual partners and more positive HIV testing attitudes were significant predictors of HIV testing among White students, whereas relationship status predicted testing among Black students. Older age and history of ever having sex were significant predictors of HIV testing for both groups. There were no significant differences between groups in number of sexual partners or self-reports in history of sexual experience (oral, vaginal, or anal).

Conclusions

Factors that influence HIV testing may differ across racial/ethnic groups. Findings support the need to consider racial/ethnic differences in predictors of HIV testing during the development and tailoring of HIV testing prevention initiatives targeting college students.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all of the students who participated in this study, thereby making this research study possible.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 806 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA

    Melanie P. Moore, Sarah J. Javier, Amanda Wattenmaker McGann & Faye Z. Belgrave

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA

    Jasmine A. Abrams

Authors
  1. Melanie P. Moore
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  2. Sarah J. Javier
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  3. Jasmine A. Abrams
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  4. Amanda Wattenmaker McGann
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  5. Faye Z. Belgrave
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Melanie P. Moore.

Ethics declarations

All study procedures involving human participants were approved by the appropriate institutional and/or national research ethic committee and were performed in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and tis later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Virginia Commonwealth University and informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to study participation.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests to report.

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Moore, M.P., Javier, S.J., Abrams, J.A. et al. Ethnic Comparisons in HIV Testing Attitudes, HIV Testing, and Predictors of HIV Testing Among Black and White College Students. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 4, 571–579 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-016-0259-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-016-0259-3

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