Skip to main content
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1990 May;80(5):586–589. doi: 10.2105/ajph.80.5.586

HIV antibody testing among adults in the United States: data from 1988 NHIS.

A M Hardy 1, D A Dawson 1
PMCID: PMC1404657  PMID: 2327537

Abstract

Data collected from 21,168 adults using the 1988 AIDS supplement to the National Health Interview Survey were examined to determine awareness of and experience with HIV antibody testing in the United States. Three-fourths of adults knew of the blood test for HIV antibodies; awareness was lower among Blacks, Hispanics, older adults, and those less educated. Overall, 17 percent of adults had been tested; of these, 73 percent because of blood donation, 14 percent through other non-voluntary programs (such as military induction), and 16 percent sought testing voluntarily. While a smaller proportion of Black and Hispanic adults had been tested, they were more likely than their White non-Hispanic counterparts to have been tested voluntarily. Persons who reported belonging to groups with high-risk behaviors were also more likely to have been voluntarily tested. Most of those tested voluntarily received their test results, but only one-third also received prevention information. Three percent of adults plan to be tested voluntarily in the next year; about half will seek testing through their doctor or health maintenance organization.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Selik R. M., Castro K. G., Pappaioanou M., Buehler J. W. Birthplace and the risk of AIDS among Hispanics in the United States. Am J Public Health. 1989 Jul;79(7):836–839. doi: 10.2105/ajph.79.7.836. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Selik R. M., Castro K. G., Pappaioanou M. Racial/ethnic differences in the risk of AIDS in the United States. Am J Public Health. 1988 Dec;78(12):1539–1545. doi: 10.2105/ajph.78.12.1539. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES