title: HIV testing behaviors among undocumented Central American immigrant women in Houston, Texas.
abstract: This paper describes HIV testing behaviors among undocumented Central American immigrant women living in Houston, Texas, USA. Respondent driven sampling was used to recruit participants for an HIV behavioral survey. HIV testing items included lifetime history of testing, date and location of the most recent test, and reason for testing. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the demographic, behavioral, and structural characteristics associated with testing. The lifetime prevalence of HIV testing was 67%. Half of those who tested did so within the past 2 years and almost 80% received their most recent test in a healthcare setting. The primary reason for testing was pregnancy. Lifetime testing was associated with being from Honduras, having over a sixth grade education, having a regular healthcare provider, and having knowledge of available healthcare resources. Our results suggest that expanding access to healthcare services may increase the prevalence of HIV testing in this population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX 77030, USA. jane.e.richards@uth.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Jane R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Montealegre
authors.forename: Jan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Risser
authors.forename: Beatrice J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Selwyn
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sabin
authors.forename: Sheryl A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McCurdy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002489:Central America / Q000208:ethnology; D003625:Data Collection; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013781:Texas; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D055815:Young Adult