HIV Testing, Linkage to HIV Medical Care, and Interviews for Partner Services Among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men — Non–Health Care Facilities, 20 Southern U.S. Jurisdictions, 2016

Identifying HIV-infected persons who are unaware of their human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection status, linking them to care, and reducing health disparities are important national HIV prevention goals (1). Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (collectively referred to as MSM) accounted for 70% of HIV infection diagnoses in the United States in 2016, despite representing only 2% of the population (2,3). African American or black (black) MSM accounted for 38% of all new diagnoses of HIV infection among MSM (2). Nearly two thirds (63%) of all U.S. black MSM with diagnosed HIV infection reside in the southern United States (2), making targeted HIV prevention activities for black MSM in this region critical. Analysis of CDC-funded HIV testing data for black MSM submitted by 20 health departments in the southern United States in 2016 revealed that although black MSM received 6% of the HIV tests provided, they accounted for 36% of the new diagnoses in non–health care facilities. Among those who received new diagnoses, 67% were linked to HIV medical care within 90 days of diagnosis, which is below the 2020 national goal of linking at least 85% of persons with newly diagnosed HIV infection to care within 30 days (1). Black MSM in the southern United States are the group most affected by HIV, but only a small percentage of CDC tests in the southern United States are provided to this group. Increasing awareness of HIV status through HIV testing, especially among black MSM in the southern United States, is essential for reducing the risk for transmission and addressing disparities. HIV testing programs in the southern United States can reach more black MSM by conducting targeted risk-based testing in non–health care settings and by routine screening in agencies that also provide health care services to black MSM.

In 2016, CDC funded 20 health departments and 24 community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide HIV testing and related services in the southern United States. Health departments and CBOs submitted deidentified program data about services provided through a secure, online CDC-supported system. Data from 2016, analyzed for this report, include the number of CDC-funded HIV tests,* new HIV-positive diagnoses, information on linkage of persons with newly or previously identified HIV infection to medical care within 90 days,^† and interviews for partner services.^§ Analyses were restricted to HIV tests provided in the 20 southern U.S. jurisdictions^¶ in non–health care facilities,** to persons who reported their sex at birth and current gender identity as male, reported sex with a male in the preceding 12 months, and their age as ≥13 years. Non–health care facilities routinely collect HIV-related risk information from all clients, whereas health care facilities are only required to collect HIV risk information from HIV-positive clients. Data were stratified by the following characteristics: age group, first-time tested, and urbanicity. Urbanicity was based on the 2013 Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties of the National Center for Health Statistics; for this analysis, the categories included metropolitan (population of ≥1,000,000), urban (50,000–999,999), or rural (<50,000). Multivariate binomial regression was used to assess the association between demographic characteristics and newly diagnosed HIV infections, linkage to HIV medical care, and interviews for partner services.

Among the 374,871 CDC-funded HIV tests provided in non–health care facilities in the 20 southern jurisdictions in 2016, a total of 22,183 (6%) were provided to black MSM, who accounted for 828 (36%) of 2,304 new diagnoses of HIV infection among all persons tested in non–health care facilities in these jurisdictions.^†† Among black MSM in the jurisdictions, the highest percentages of tests were provided to men aged 25–34 years (43%), living in metropolitan areas (75%), and who had been tested previously (81%) (Table 1). Overall, 1,471 black MSM had positive tests for HIV infection in 2016; among these, 828 (56%) received a new diagnosis (Table 2) and 643 (44%) had previously received a diagnosis of HIV infection (Table 3). Among black MSM, new diagnoses of HIV infection were highest in persons aged 20–24 years (4.8%) followed by those aged 13–19 (4.1%) and 25–34 (4.0%) years. Compared with black MSM aged 25–34 years, those aged ≥35 years were less likely to receive a new diagnosis (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 35–44 years = 0.56; aPR 45–54 years = 0.46; and aPR ≥55 years = 0.34). Compared with black MSM who had not been tested before, those who reported a previous HIV test were less likely to receive a new HIV diagnosis (aPR = 0.73). Overall, 608 (73%) new diagnoses of HIV infection were in persons tested in a metropolitan area. Compared with tests performed in metropolitan jurisdictions, tests performed in urban jurisdictions were more likely to yield new diagnoses, and tests performed in rural jurisdictions were less likely to yield new diagnoses (aPR = 1.23 and 0.48, respectively) (Table 1).

In this analysis, among the 828 black MSM in the southern U.S. jurisdictions with newly diagnosed HIV infection, 552 (67%) were linked to HIV medical care within 90 days of diagnosis, and 451 (55%) were interviewed for partner services. The percentage of black MSM with newly diagnosed HIV infection who were interviewed for partner services was higher among persons aged 20–24 years (61%) than among those aged 25–34 years (50%) (aPR = 1.23). In addition, the percentage of black MSM with newly diagnosed HIV infection who were interviewed for partner services was higher in rural jurisdictions (83%) than in metropolitan jurisdictions (53%) (aPR = 1.44) (Table 2). Black MSM with newly diagnosed HIV infections were significantly more likely to be linked to HIV medical care (odds ratio = 1.44, p = 0.0008) than were those with a previously diagnosed infection.

Among the 643 black MSM in the southern U.S. jurisdictions with a previously diagnosed HIV infection, 374 (58%) were linked to HIV medical care within 90 days of the test date. The adjusted prevalence ratio of being linked to HIV medical care within 90 days was higher for those living in urban areas (70%) than for those living in metropolitan areas (52%) (aPR = 1.36) (Table 3).

Acknowledgments

Gary Uhl, Janet Heitgerd, Program Evaluation Branch; Prevention Program Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC.

Corresponding author: Mariette Marano, [email protected], 404-639-6319.

¹Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC; ²Keymind, a division of Axiom Resource Management, Inc., Falls Church, Virginia.

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Abbreviations: aPR = adjusted prevalence ratio; CI = confidence interval; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus.
* HIV tests were defined as tests for which a result (i.e., positive or negative) was known. Analyses excluded discordant and indeterminate results.
^† Included are persons who tested HIV-positive and did not report a previous positive test result, calculated using HIV surveillance verification (if available) or a person’s self-reported previous HIV status.
^§ Missing/invalid data were excluded. In the column “HIV tests among black MSM,” 61 (0.3%) records were excluded from the age group category, 705 (3.2%) from the first-time tested category, and 961 (4.3%) from the urbanicity category. In the column “Total no. of newly diagnosed HIV infections,” nine (0.4%) records were excluded from the age group category, 101 (4.4%) from the first-time tested category, and 72 (3.1%) from the urbanicity category. In the section “Newly diagnosed HIV infections among black MSM,” one (0.1%) record was excluded from the age group category, 30 (3.6%) from the first-time tested category, and 20 (2.4%) from the urbanicity category.
^¶ p-value <0.001.
** p-value <0.05.

Abbreviations: aPR = adjusted prevalence ratio; CI = confidence interval; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus.
* Included persons who tested HIV-positive during the current test and were not found to be previously reported in the health department jurisdiction’s HIV surveillance system or who self-reported not having a previous HIV-positive test result if surveillance system verification was not available.
^† Linkage to HIV medical care within 90 days means confirmation that persons attended their first HIV medical care appointment within 90 days of their HIV test date.
^§ Partner services is a process through which HIV-infected persons are interviewed to elicit information about their partners, who can then be confidentially notified of their possible exposure or potential risk and offered services that can protect the health of partners and prevent HIV transmission to others.
^¶ p-value <0.01.
** Missing/invalid data were excluded. In the column “No. of newly diagnosed HIV infections,” one (0.1%) record was excluded from the age group category, 30 (3.6%) from the first-time tested category, and 10 (1.2%) from the urbanicity category. In the section “Linked to HIV medical care within 90 days of diagnosis,” 24 (4.3%) records were excluded from first-time tested and 10 (1.8%) from the urbanicity category. In the section “Interviewed for HIV partner services,” 23 (5.1%) records were excluded from first-time tested and 13 (2.9%) from urbanicity.

Abbreviations: aPR = adjusted prevalence ratio; CI = confidence interval; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus.
* Previously diagnosed HIV infections included persons who tested HIV-positive during the current test and were found to be previously reported in the health department’s HIV surveillance system or who self-reported having a previous HIV-positive test result if the surveillance system verification was not available.
^† Linkage to HIV medical care within 90 days means confirmation that persons attended their first HIV medical care appointment within 90 days of their HIV test date.
^§ Missing/invalid data were excluded. In the section “Previously diagnosed HIV-positive black MSM who are linked to HIV medical care,” one (0.3%) record was excluded from the age group category, 11 (2.9%) from first-time tester, and 28 (7.5%) from urbanicity.
^¶ p-value <0.05.
** p-value <0.001.