title: Perceptions of HIV/AIDS in one's community predict HIV testing.
abstract: Using a subsample of respondents to the 2005 Los Angeles County health survey, we examined the relationship between perceptions of the seriousness of HIV/AIDS in one's community and HIV testing. We constructed a propensity score-based matched sample of three groups with differing perceptions of the seriousness of HIV in their community: high perceived seriousness, low perceived seriousness, and uncertain about seriousness. We compared HIV testing behavior in the three groups before and after using propensity score matching to control for selection on observed covariates. The unadjusted comparison showed a testing rate of 30.2 % among those perceiving high seriousness, 11.4 percentage points higher than the 18.8 % testing rate among those perceiving low seriousness. After propensity score matching, the adjusted testing difference was 7.0 percentage points (p < 0.05). Those uncertain about the seriousness of HIV did not differ significantly in their testing behavior from those perceiving high seriousness.
authors: Department of Health Services, UCLA School of Public Health, 650 Charles E. Young Drive S., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. lushi.pku@gmail.com
authors: Lu
authors: L
authors: Shi
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Kanouse
authors: Susie
authors: S
authors: Baldwin
authors: Junyeop
authors: J
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010465:Perception; D057216:Propensity Score; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index