title: Willingness to use couples voluntary counseling and testing services among men who have sex with men in seven countries.
abstract: The willingness of male-male dyads to use couples voluntary HIV counseling and testing (CVCT) has not been previously investigated globally among men who have sex with men (MSM). Using online advertisements, data were collected from 3245 MSM in seven countries who were ≥ 18 years of age and had ≥1 male sex partner in the previous 12 months. The analysis examined associations between individual characteristics and willingness to utilize CVCT. The willingness to utilize CVCT was compellingly high, ranging from 79% in Australia and UK to 90% in Brazil. Older MSM and those who reported not knowing their sero-status reported lower odds of willingness to use CVCT. The relationship between being in a relationship and willingness to use CVCT varied across countries, perhaps reflecting varied local understandings of the nature and content of CVCT. Further work is required to examine willingness to use CVCT among a more heterogeneous population of MSM, and to examine how CVCT services are locally perceived in order to provide information vital for the development of locally appropriate messages to promote CVCT for MSM.
authors.affiliation: a Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health , Emroy University , Atlanta , GA , USA.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stephenson
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chard
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Finneran
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D001938:Brazil; D002170:Canada; D037001:Directive Counseling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012944:Social Support; D013019:South Africa; D013785:Thailand; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States; D014836:Volition