Few Italian drug users undergo HIV testing.
We estimated the proportion of drug users at treatment centres in Italy who had undergone HIV testing and the correlates of testing. Of the 1,917 drug injectors, 37.4% had been tested in the current year; of the 665 non-injectors, 28% had been tested. Among injectors, testing was associated with: being older than 35, foreign nationality, residing in central Italy, drug use for over 2 years, and having undergone both pharmacological and psychological treatment. Among non-injectors, an association was found for foreign nationality and not having been treated at other facilities. The results stress the need to facilitate access to testing.
Camoni
L
L
Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie e Immunomediate, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy. laura.camoni@iss.it
Federico
B
B
Capelli
G
G
Regine
V
V
Salfa
M C
MC
Nicoletti
G
G
Canuzzi
P
P
Magliocchetti
N
N
Rezza
G
G
Suligoi
B
B
D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult