An examination of high-risk sexual behaviors among participants obtaining community-based HIV testing and related sexual health services provided at the community level
Abstract
African American women continue to have the highest rates of HIV infection and are diagnosed with common STIs more frequently than women of other racial/ethnic groups. Since African American women are affected by HIV disproportionately, community based HIV testing has become more customary. Among African Americans these studies aim to prevent the spread of HIV by targeting women with the highest risk behaviors to identify women who are infected unknowingly. Women who test positive for HIV are linked to HIV care, leaving patients who test HIV negative at the greatest concern as linking them to additional services is more difficult to determine. This creates a public health concern that detecting other undiagnosed infections for African American women using these services may be missed. This dissertation incorporated three studies to evaluate the prevalence of high-risk behaviors of individuals utilizing community-based HIV testing services, 2) determine satisfaction of services associated with community-based rapid HIV testing, and 3) review the literature to investigate standard approaches used in community-based rapid HIV testing programs to link clients to services not provided during the rapid HIV testing visit.
Subject Area
Public health
Recommended Citation
Stafford, Crystal L, "An examination of high-risk sexual behaviors among participants obtaining community-based HIV testing and related sexual health services provided at the community level" (2013). Texas Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI3606050.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI3606050