title: Does name-based HIV reporting deter high-risk persons from HIV testing? Results from San Francisco.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Name-based HIV reporting has been recommended as a method to track the HIV epidemic but may deter or delay at-risk persons from HIV testing. Previous studies of a deterrent effect of HIV reporting were not conducted in areas with high HIV infection rates and politically active populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional survey, men who have sex with men (MSM) recruited from gay bars, heterosexuals recruited from the sexually transmitted disease clinic, and injection drug users (IDUs) recruited from street venues were administered a face-to-face anonymous questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-four percent of the 118 MSM, 76% of the 99 heterosexuals, and 97% of 105 IDUs surveyed were tested. Six percent of MSM, 9% of heterosexuals, and none of the IDUs correctly identified California's HIV reporting regulations. Of the 75 (25%) participants who thought California had a name-based HIV reporting system, 2 were never tested and 23 had not been tested in the past 12 months. None of those who had never been tested and 2 of those who had not been tested in the past 12 months cited fear of being reported as a reason for not testing recently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fear of reporting is an infrequently cited reason for deterring or delaying testing.
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Department of Public Health, 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA. sandy.schwarz@sfdph.org
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schwarcz
authors.forename: Jamila
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stockman
authors.forename: Viva
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scheer
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D035041:Anonymous Testing; D003219:Confidentiality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018563:Disease Notification; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012495:San Francisco; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous