Title
HIV and syphilis testing preferences among men who have sex with men and among transgender women in Lima, Peru
Date Issued
01 October 2018
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Bristow C.C.
Kojima N.
Lee S.J.
Leon S.R.
Brown B.
Klausner J.D.
University of California Los Angeles
Publisher(s)
Public Library of Science
Abstract
Background Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women in Peru are at high risk for acquiring syphilis and HIV infection. The World Health Organization highly recommends screening for HIV and syphilis to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with untreated infections. We aimed to identify factors associated with dual testing preferences for HIV and syphilis infection among MSM and transgender women in Lima, Peru. Methods We used conjoint analysis, an innovative method for systematically estimating consumer preferences. We created eight hypothetical test profiles varying across six dichotomous attributes: cost (free vs.4), potential for false positive syphilis result (no false positive vs. some risk of false positive), time-To-result (20 minutes vs. 1 week), blood draw method (finger prick vs. venipuncture), test type (rapid vs. laboratory), and number of draws (1 vs. 2). We fit a conjoint analysis model for each participant using a simple main effects ANOVA. Attribute importance values were calculated using percentages from relative ranges in the attribute's utility values. Results were summarized across participants and averages were reported. Results We recruited 415 MSM/transgender women over 18 years of age from two STD clinics in Lima, Peru. No potential for syphilis false positive result (no false positive vs. some potential for false positive) had the largest average impact on willingness to use the test and on average accounted for 23.8% of test type preference, followed by cost (free vs. ∼USD4; 21.6%), time to results (20 minutes vs. 1 week; 17.4%), number of blood draws (1 draw vs. 2 draws; 13.8%), method of blood draw (fingerprick vs. venipuncture; 13.7%), and test type (rapid POC vs. laboratory; 9.7%). Conclusion MSM/transgender women in Peru prioritized accuracy, cost, timeliness and number of blood draws for HIV and syphilis testing. Implementing a low cost, accurate, rapid and dual testing strategy for HIV and syphilis could improve screening uptake and accessibility of testing to accelerate time to treatment. Copyright:
Volume
13
Issue
10
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Enfermedades infecciosas
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85055616702
PubMed ID
Source
PLoS ONE
ISSN of the container
19326203
Sponsor(s)
Fogarty International Center D43TW009343
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus