Associations Between Clinic-Based HIV Testing Guidelines and Population-Level HIV Testing Rates in the United States

Abstract

Between 2005 and 2006, the United States Preventive Services Task Force and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised their risk-based HIV testing guidelines to include universal HIV testing in routine health care. We examined trends in HIV testing and associations with changing policy recommendations using the 2000-2017 National Health Interview Surveys. Multivariable logistic regression and difference-in-difference approach were used to assess rates and correlates of HIV testing before and after the policy changes. Changes in recommendations had minimal effects on overall HIV testing rates but had significant effects on selected subpopulations. The odds of HIV testing increased disproportionately among African Americans, Hispanics, individuals with some college education, low perceived HIV risks, and those who were never married but decreased among those with no regular source of care. A strategy combining risk-based and routine opt-out testing holds promise to rapidly link recently infected individuals to care while reaching individuals who have never been tested.