title: Prevalence and Correlates of HIV Testing among Young People Enrolled in Non-Formal Education Centers in Urban Chiang Mai, Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HIV testing is the gateway to HIV prevention, treatment, and care. Despite the established vulnerability of young Thai people to HIV infection, studies examining the prevalence and correlates of HIV testing among the general population of Thai youth are still very limited. This study investigates socio-demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial factors associated with HIV testing among young Thai people enrolled in Non-formal Education Centers (NFEC) in urban Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional quantitative study conducted among young unmarried Thai youth--between the ages of 15 and 24--who were enrolled in NFEC in urban Chiang Mai. Multiple logistic regressions were used to identify correlates of "ever tested for HIV" among the sexually active participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 295 sexually active participants, 27.3% reported "ever tested for HIV;" 65.4% "did not consistently use condom;" and 61.7% "had at least 2 lifetime partners." We found that "self-efficacy" (AOR, 4.92; CI, 1.22-19.73); "perception that it is easy to find a location nearby to test for HIV" (AOR, 4.67; CI, 1.21-18.06); "having at least 2 lifetime sexual partners" (AOR, 2.05; CI, 1.09-3.85); and "ever been pregnant or made someone pregnant" (AOR, 4.06; CI, 2.69-9.15); were associated with increased odds of having ever been tested. On the other hand, "fear of HIV test results" (AOR, 0.21; CI, 0.08-0.57) was associated with lower odds of ever having been tested for HIV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The main finding is that a substantially high proportion of Thai youth is engaged in risky sexual behaviors--yet reports low rates of ever having been tested for HIV. This highlights an urgent need to develop appropriate interventions--based on the identified correlates of HIV testing. There is also an urgent need to enhance HIV testing and to promote safer sexual behaviors among young Thai people--particularly those who are out-of-school.
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Socio-epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Patou Masika
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Musumari
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
authors.forename: Arunrat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tangmunkongvorakul
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.|Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
authors.forename: Kriengkrai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Srithanaviboonchai
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
authors.forename: Sawang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yungyuankul
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Socio-epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Teeranee
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Techasrivichien
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Socio-epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Kyoto, Japan.|Center of Medical Education, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: S Pilar
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Suguimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Socio-epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ono-Kihara
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Socio-epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kihara
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.|Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
authors.forename: Suwat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chariyalertsak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004493:Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult