Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26991460›Full record

ArticleHIV medicine2016

Frequency of HIV testing among gay and bisexual men in the UK: implications for HIV prevention.

L M McDaid, A Aghaizu, J Frankis, J Riddell, A Nardone, D Mercey, A M Johnson, G J Hart, P Flowers

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Article in HIV medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  14. Combination prevention and HIV: a cross-sectional community survey of gay and bisexual men in London, October to December 2016.Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2019
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

L M McDaidMRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
A AghaizuPublic Health England, London, UK.
J FrankisGlasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
J RiddellMRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
A NardonePublic Health England, London, UK.
D MerceyUniversity College London, London, UK.
A M JohnsonUniversity College London, London, UK.
G J HartUniversity College London, London, UK.
P FlowersGlasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_UU_12017/11Medical Research Council MC_UU_12017/2
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe aim of the study was to explore HIV testing frequency among UK men who have sex with men (MSM) in order to direct intervention development.

methodsCross-sectional surveys were completed by 2409 MSM in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London in 2011 and a Scotland-wide online survey was carried out in 2012/13. The frequency of HIV testing in the last 2 years was measured.

resultsOverall, 21.2% of respondents reported at least four HIV tests and 33.7% reported two or three tests in the last 2 years, so we estimate that 54.9% test annually. Men reporting at least four HIV tests were younger and less likely to be surveyed in London. They were more likely to report higher numbers of sexual and anal intercourse partners, but not "higher risk" unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) with at least two partners, casual partners and/or unknown/discordant status partners in the previous 12 months. Only 26.7% (238 of 893) of men reporting higher risk UAI reported at least four tests. Among all testers (n = 2009), 56.7% tested as part of a regular sexual health check and 35.5% tested following a risk event. Differences were observed between surveys, and those testing in response to a risk event were more likely to report higher risk UAI.

conclusionsGuidelines recommend that all MSM test annually and those at "higher risk" test more frequently, but our findings suggest neither recommendation is being met. Additional efforts are required to increase testing frequency and harness the opportunities provided by biomedical HIV prevention. Regional, demographic and behavioural differences and variations in the risk profiles of testers suggest that it is unlikely that a "one size fits all" approach to increasing the frequency of testing will be successful.

Indexed as

Homosexuality, MalePatient Acceptance of Health CareAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCross-Sectional StudiesDiagnostic Tests, RoutineHIV InfectionsHumansLondonMaleMiddle AgedScotlandYoung AdultHIV preventionHIV testingmen who have sex with mensexual healthsexual risk behaviour

Identifiers

PMID26991460
PMCPMC5026165

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.