Willingness to Use HIV Self-Testing and Associated Factors Among Transgender Women in Malaysia

Shrestha, Roman; Galka, Jonathan; Azwa, Iskandar; Lim, Sin How; Guadamuz, Thomas E.; Altice, Frederick L.; Wickersham, Jeffrey A.

doi:10.1089/trgh.2019.0085

Cited by 15 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 44 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Second, this analysis excluded TGW, and the findings should not be generalized for this key population. Further studies of patient preferences for HIVST in TGW should be conducted, even some general information is already available [55]. Third, although a brief explanation about HIVST and its attributes was provided, we do not know the extent to which participants understood every attribute (e.g., cost, privacy, accuracy, kit collection site, kit type, and testing support) while ranking the HIVST program scenarios.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Using individual stated-preferences to optimize HIV self-testing service delivery among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Malaysia: results from a conjoint-based analysis

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background HIV self-testing (HIVST) has the potential to improve HIV testing uptake and frequency for key populations like MSM who experience multiple barriers accessing clinic-based HIV testing. In the absence of HIVST in Malaysia, there is no guidance to inform HIVST delivery. This study investigated the acceptability of HIVST and preferences about the HIVST service delivery approaches using a standardized stated preference method. Methods A cross-sectional online survey conducted between January and April 2019 assessed the interest in HIVST in 544 MSM in Malaysia. Participants ranked eight hypothetical HIVST service delivery program elements with varied combinations of six, two-level HIVST service delivery program attributes (cost, privacy, accuracy, kit collection site, kit type, and testing support). SPSS conjoint procedure was used to estimate the relative importance of each attribute and preference across eight possible HIVST service delivery programs. Results Overall, 70.4% had previously tested for HIV, and of those, 64.0% had done so in the past 6 months (45.0% of all participants). Of all the participants, 25.2% reported having used HIVST previously. The acceptability for HIVST service delivery models ranged from 44.9 to 77.1%, with mean acceptability of 56.2% across the eight hypothetical HIVST distribution scenarios. The HIVST service delivery scenario with the highest acceptability had the following attributes: no cost (free), anonymity (name not required), 99–100% accuracy, home-delivered, fingerstick, and testing support using telephone hotline or texting. HIVST cost was the most important attribute (relative importance score: RIS = 19.30) associated with acceptability, followed by anonymity (RIS = 18.41), accuracy (RIS = 17.33), kit delivery (RIS = 16.99), fingerstick kit (RIS = 15.86), and support (RIS = 12.08). Conclusions Acceptability for HIVST in Malaysian MSM was high but differed markedly by a number of HIVST delivery scenarios and attributes. These findings could be relevant as the Malaysian Ministry of Health is in the process of developing a regulatory framework for ensuring the quality of kits, as well as policies supporting safe use while broader implementation under national AIDS programs.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Using individual stated-preferences to optimize HIV self-testing service delivery among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Malaysia: results from a conjoint-based analysis

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This willingness, in a multivariate analysis, was positively associated with having experienced sexual assault in childhood, having ever used a cell phone or app to find sex clients, and having had intercourse without condoms in the past six months. Interestingly, it was noted that a willingness to selftest was negatively associated with the presence of depressive symptoms or having more daily clients [ 62 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been shown that stigmatization of transgender people by doctors in Malaysia can lead to the creation of a hostile environment for TW, including limited access to and use of therapeutic and preventive services [ 62 , 91 ]. Obstacles to self-testing for HIV also include factors such as stigma and discrimination against transgender people and their concerns about confidentiality, as well as limited access to HIV care and a lack of trust in medical facilities [ 62 , 92 , 93 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Testing as a Hope to Reduce HIV in Transgender Women—Literature Review

Budzyńska

Patryn

Kozioł

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

So far, the rate of HIV-positive people who do not know their sero-status is about 14% and the percentage is higher among transgender women (TGW). They represent one of the most vulnerable groups to infection. HIV self-testing (HIVST) may be a way to reduce transmission of the virus. The aim of this analysis and in-depth review was to collect available data on factors that may influence the use and dissemination of HIVST among TGW. This review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. All data from 48 papers were used. From the available literature, HIVST is a convenient and preferred method of testing due to its high confidentiality and possibility of being performed at home. However, there are barriers that limit its use, including marginalization of transgender people, stigma by medical personnel, lack of acceptance of sexual partners, and even cultural standards. Therefore, there is a need for activities that promote and inform on the possibility of using HIVST as well as enable easier access to it.

show abstract

“…but most countries remain in the pre-implementation stage [10][11][12][13][14]. In Western countries, men who have sex with men (MSM) tend to utilize HIVST through free online ordering or outreach services [15][16][17][18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several reports of successful implementation of free HIVST programs to improve the rate of HIV testing through outreach programs and door‐to‐door distribution in high‐prevalence countries have been published [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Recently, in Asia, some countries, including Thailand and Vietnam, have started HIVST pilot programs or studies [ 7 , 8 , 9 ], but most countries remain in the pre‐implementation stage [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. In Western countries, men who have sex with men (MSM) tend to utilize HIVST through free online ordering or outreach services [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards the first 90: impact of the national HIV self‐test program on case finding and factors associated with linkage to confirmatory diagnosis in Taiwan

Huang

et al. 2022

J Int AIDS Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction:Being aware of one's HIV-positive status can help reduce unprotected sex and promote early treatment seeking. Therefore, HIV self-test (HIVST) programs may help control the HIV epidemic by case finding. The aims of this study were to determine the effect of HIVST programs on HIV case finding, time to confirmatory diagnosis and factors associated with linkage to confirmatory diagnosis in Taiwan. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control in Taiwan initiated HIVST programs and imported 78,000 self-test kits in 2017 and 2019. Clients paid 7 US dollars for a self-test kit at facilities, vending machines or online. The programs set up an HIVST logistics management system; each kit had a unique barcode for monitoring the programs because purchases were anonymous. When clients provided their test results with photo barcodes online or at HIV/AIDS-designated hospitals, they received full monetary reimbursement. We conducted a quasi-experimental interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis that covered a period of 60 months from 2015 to 2019. We enrolled a retrospective cohort of reported HIV cases with initial positive results from HIVST programs between March 2017 and July 2020. Results:The ITS analysis included data from 10,976 reported HIV cases from 2015 to 2019. The HIVST-positive cohort included 386 reported HIV cases, of whom 99.7% were males and 97% were men who have sex with men (MSM); the median age was 28 years. The ITS analysis showed a positive slope change in the number of reported HIV cases immediately in the beginning implementation month (coefficient: 51.09 in 2017 and 3.62 in 2019), but there was a significant decrease over time. It was a negative slope change by 9.52 cases per month in 2017 and 5.56 cases per month in 2019. In the HIVST-positive cohort, three of five individuals linked to HIV confirmatory diagnosis within 1 month after a positive self-test result, and an early linkage to confirmatory diagnosis was associated with HIVST disclosure (adjusted OR = 6.5; 95% CI: 3.9-10.6). Conclusions: HIVST programs were associated with an increase in HIV case finding. Our findings suggest that countries with a high incidence of HIV among MSM populations should offer multichannel HIVST services.

show abstract

Willingness to Use HIV Self-Testing and Associated Factors Among Transgender Women in Malaysia

Cited by 15 publications

References 44 publications

Using individual stated-preferences to optimize HIV self-testing service delivery among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Malaysia: results from a conjoint-based analysis

Using individual stated-preferences to optimize HIV self-testing service delivery among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Malaysia: results from a conjoint-based analysis

Self-Testing as a Hope to Reduce HIV in Transgender Women—Literature Review

Towards the first 90: impact of the national HIV self‐test program on case finding and factors associated with linkage to confirmatory diagnosis in Taiwan

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About