title: HIV testing and retesting for men and women in Switzerland.
abstract: This study was conducted to describe voluntary HIV testing in the general population in Switzerland and to estimate yearly HIV test incidence. In 1994, a representative telephone survey of individuals aged 17 to 45 years obtained self-reported information on HIV testing. In addition to describing cumulative HIV test incidence, yearly HIV test incidence over time was estimated by a Bayesian hurdle model allowing for the plausible scenario of test consumption differing between first test and subsequent retests. Overall, 33% of the Swiss population (age 17 to 45 years) has been tested at some time for HIV on a voluntary basis (30% men, 36% women). For the time period 1990-1994, the result showed for 35-year-old individuals with supposedly low risk behavior, that 1) annual test incidence (first test or retest) showed a greater increase for men (4.2 to 5.9%) than for women (5.0 to 6.0%); 2) annual first test incidence increased moderately and differed for men and women (2.9 to 3.4% for men, 4.6 to 5.2% for women), and 3) annual retest incidence was twice as high for men (17.6%) as for women (8.6%). In conclusion, a substantial part of the Swiss population has been tested at some stage for HIV on a voluntary basis, and differences exist for testing and retesting between men and women.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, Bern. marcel.zwahlen@bag.admin.ch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zwahlen
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Neuenschwander
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jeannin
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dubois-Arber
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vlahov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland