Comparison of Opt-In Versus Opt-Out Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Inmates in a County Jail.
A majority of jails in the United States rely on an opt-in (voluntary) rather than opt-out (universal) approach to testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study compares an opt-out approach at intake to opt-in testing during incarceration and estimates the prevalence of common STIs among jail inmates. Data derive from a universal intake pilot testing program (n = 298) and an established, student-led voluntary testing program (n = 1,963), respectively. The adjusted prevalence as well as the odds of testing positive for chlamydia were significantly higher in the opt-out program (p = .025 and .008, respectively) than the opt-in program but not for gonorrhea (p = .402 and .300, respectively). These results demonstrate the potential public health benefit of implementation of universal STI testing of jail inmates.
Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA raees.shaikh@unmc.edu.
Raees A
RA
Shaikh
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Kari A
KA
Simonsen
Douglas County Health Department, Omaha, NE, USA.
Anne
A
O'Keefe
Douglas County Department of Corrections, Omaha, NE, USA.
Mary
M
Earley
Douglas County Department of Corrections, Omaha, NE, USA.
Mark
M
Foxall
Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
K M
KM
Islam
College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Austin
A
Person
Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Cole
C
Boyle
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Uriel
U
Sandkovsky
Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Ruth
R
Margalit
D000328:Adult; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011330:Prisons; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States
jail; opt-in; opt-out; sexually transmitted infections; testing