HIV testing and additional analysis of national survey on HIV/AIDS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s reported plans to recommend routine HIV testing for patients in health care settings will mark a major change in the way HIV testing is conducted in the United States and is intended to increase testing nationwide.

Given that an estimated one in four of the more than one million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. do not know they are infected, increased testing could help more people learn they are HIV positive, linking them to necessary care and services and leading to reduced risk behaviors. In order to help inform discussions about expanded testing, the Kaiser Family Foundation is releasing additional data from its 2006 Survey of Americans on HIV/AIDS (released May 2006) and an updated fact sheet on HIV testing in the U.S.

HIV Testing: 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of Americans on HIV/AIDS - New public opinion data finds that two-thirds of the public (65%) say HIV testing should be treated just like routine screening for other diseases, while about one-quarter (27%) say it should require special procedures, such as written permission from the patient. The survey also found that most people (65%) think rapid home HIV-testing is a good idea, but when asked their personal preference, most (62%) would still prefer to get tested in a doctor's office rather than use a home test.

Opinions and Experiences of 18-25 Year Olds: 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of Americans on HIV/AIDS - New analysis of public opinion data finds that large shares of 18-25 year olds would like to have more information about the different kinds of HIV tests available (60%); where to go to get tested (54%); how to protect their privacy when getting an HIV test (51%); and how to bring up the topic of getting tested with a partner (43%). This report also examines young peoples' views on a wide variety of issues related to HIV in addition to testing.

HIV Testing in the U.S. -- An updated fact sheet that provides key testing statistics and outlines testing recommendations and requirements, state-by-state policies, and different testing techniques. State-by-state data on HIV testing is available on Kaiser's statehealthfacts.org.

The Kaiser Family Foundation 2006 Survey of Americans on HIV/AIDS was designed and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Interviews were conducted by telephone between March 24 and April 18, 2006, among a nationally representative random sample of 2,517 respondents ages 18+, including 278 respondents ages 18-25. The margin of sampling error for the overall survey is ±2 percentage points; for respondents ages 18-25 it is ±7 percentage points.

These two new reports are based on subsets of the full survey. A full survey report can be found online.