Table 1.
Characteristics (%) of sexually transmitted HIV-positive persons by the history of HIV testing prior to diagnosis in Singapore, 2012–2017
| Characteristic | Total (N=2188) | No previous HIV tests (N=986) | Had previous HIV tests (N=1202) | P value |
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
| Age group (years) | <0.0005 | |||
| 15–24 | 231 (10.6) | 59 (6.0) | 172 (14.3) | |
| 25–34 | 548 (25.0) | 138 (14.0) | 410 (34.1) | |
| 35–44 | 567 (25.9) | 200 (20.3) | 367 (30.5) | |
| 45–54 | 487 (22.3) | 303 (30.7) | 184 (15.3) | |
| 55–64 | 274 (12.5) | 211 (21.4) | 63 (5.2) | |
| >65 | 81 (3.7) | 75 (7.6) | 6 (0.5) | |
| Gender | <0.0005 | |||
| Male | 2045 (93.5) | 881 (89.4) | 1164 (96.8) | |
| Female | 143 (6.5) | 105 (10.6) | 38 (3.2) | |
| Ethnic group | 0.092 | |||
| Chinese | 1571 (71.8) | 700 (71.0) | 871 (72.5) | |
| Malay | 413 (18.9) | 193 (19.6) | 220 (18.3) | |
| Indian | 122 (5.6) | 64 (6.5) | 58 (4.8) | |
| Others | 82 (3.7) | 29 (2.9) | 53 (4.4) | |
| Marital status | <0.0005 | |||
| Never married | 1506 (68.8) | 504 (51.1) | 1002 (83.4) | |
| Married | 469 (21.4) | 326 (33.1) | 143 (11.9) | |
| Separated/divorced/widowed | 213 (9.7) | 156 (15.8) | 57 (4.7) | |
| Educational level | <0.0005 | |||
| No formal/primary | 161 (7.4) | 129 (13.1) | 32 (2.7) | |
| Secondary | 263 (12.0) | 160 (16.2) | 103 (8.6) | |
| Post-secondary/diploma | 1466 (67.0) | 630 (63.9) | 836 (69.6) | |
| University degree or higher | 290 (13.3) | 63 (6.4) | 227 (18.9) | |
| Unknown | 8 (0.4) | 4 (0.4) | 4 (0.3) | |
| Occupational type | <0.0005 | |||
| Professional/executive | 463 (21.2) | 155 (15.7) | 308 (25.6) | |
| Administrative/service | 904 (41.3) | 380 (38.5) | 524 (43.6) | |
| Blue-collar worker | 285 (13.0) | 227 (23.0) | 58 (4.8) | |
| Unemployed | 69 (3.2) | 43 (4.4) | 26 (2.2) | |
| Others | 302 (13.8) | 112 (11.4) | 190 (15.8) | |
| Unknown | 165 (7.5) | 69 (7.0) | 96 (8.0) | |
| Mode of detection | <0.0005 | |||
| Voluntary screening | 452 (20.7) | 69 (7.0) | 383 (31.9) | |
| Medical care | 1001 (45.7) | 646 (65.5) | 355 (29.5) | |
| Routine programmatic HIV screening* | 615 (28.1) | 241 (24.4) | 374 (31.1) | |
| Others | 120 (5.5) | 30 (3.0) | 90 (7.5) | |
| Mode of HIV transmission | <0.0005 | |||
| Homosexual/bisexual | 1287 (58.8) | 354 (35.9) | 933 (77.6) | |
| Heterosexual | 901 (41.2) | 632 (64.1) | 269 (22.4) | |
| Type of sexual partners | <0.0005 | |||
| Regular only | 246 (11.2) | 126 (12.8) | 120 (10.0) | |
| Regular and casual only | 1357 (62.0) | 471 (47.8) | 886 (73.7) | |
| Sex workers and social escorts | 576 (26.3) | 385 (39.0) | 191 (15.9) | |
| Unknown | 9 (0.4) | 4 (0.4) | 5 (0.4) | |
| Self-reported history of STIs | <0.0005 | |||
| No | 1668 (76.2) | 799 (81.0) | 869 (72.3) | |
| Yes | 520 (23.8) | 187 (19.0) | 333 (27.7) | |
| Stage of HIV infection | <0.0005 | |||
| Early | 1210 (55.3) | 356 (36.1) | 854 (71.0) | |
| Late | 978 (44.7) | 630 (63.9) | 348 (29.0) |
*Routine programmatic HIV screening includes screening programmes for those with STIs, hospital inpatients and those identified through contact tracing.
STIs, sexually transmitted infections.