title: HIV testing behavior among Pacific Islanders in Southern California: exploring the importance of race/ethnicity, knowledge, and domestic violence.
abstract: This article presents an analysis of a 2008 community needs assessment survey of a convenience sample of 179 Pacific Islander respondents in southern California; the needs assessment focused on HIV knowledge, HIV testing behavior, and experience with intimate partner/relationship violence. Multivariate logistic regression results indicated that race/ethnicity and reported experience with intimate partner/relationship violence were the most important variables in explaining the variation in reported HIV testing among Chamorro/Guamanian and Samoan respondents. However, when analyzed separately, self-reported experience with intimate partner/relationship violence was associated with reported HIV testing only for Chamorro respondents and not for Samoan respondents. As U.S. Pacific Islanders experience a high degree of HIV health disparities, additional research is needed to clarify the links among race/ethnicity, intimate partner/relationship violence, and HIV testing behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urban Planning, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656, USA. takahash@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Lois M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Anna J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Lola
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sablan-Santos
authors.forename: Lourdes Flores
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Quitugua
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lepule
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maguadog
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044468:Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; D020380:Needs Assessment; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating