title: Facilitators and barriers related to voluntary counseling and testing for HIV among young adults in Bo, Sierra Leone.
abstract: In 2012, we interviewed a population-based sample of 285 young adult residents (age 18-35 years) of the city of Bo, Sierra Leone, about their attitudes toward and experience with voluntary testing and counseling (VCT) for HIV. In total, 33% of the participants (44% of women and 25% of men) reported having been tested for HIV at least once. More than 85% of those not previously tested indicated a willingness to be tested in the near future, but untested participants were nearly twice as likely as tested participants to report fears about family/partner rejection, job loss, and other potential consequences of testing. More than 90% of participants expressed a high desire for testing privacy, and the majority reported a preference for VCT at a facility far from home where no one would know them. Social barriers to HIV testing remain a challenge for HIV prevention in Sierra Leone.
authors.affiliation: Mercy Hospital, Kulanda Town, Bo, Sierra Leone.
authors.forename: Shalinee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhoobun
authors.forename: Anuradha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jetty
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Koroma
authors.forename: Mohamed J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kamara
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kabia
authors.forename: Reginald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coulson
authors.forename: Rashid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ansumana
authors.forename: Kathryn H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D057240:Patient Preference; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012807:Sierra Leone; D055815:Young Adult