Oral HIV self-testing among men who have sex with men in New Delhi, India: Perceptions & apprehensions: A qualitative study

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dc.contributor.authorVashisht, Shrutien_US
dc.contributor.authorRai, Sanjayen_US
dc.contributor.authorKant, Shashien_US
dc.contributor.authorHaldar, Parthaen_US
dc.contributor.authorMisra, Puneeten_US
dc.contributor.authorGoswami, Kiranen_US
dc.contributor.authorReddy, D.C.S.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-19T04:52:30Z
dc.date.available2023-08-19T04:52:30Z
dc.date.issued2022-12
dc.description.abstractBackground & objectives: The overall adult prevalence of HIV in India was estimated to be 0.22 per cent in 2019. The HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM), a high-risk group for HIV, was estimated to be 4.3 per cent, which is 16 times higher than the national average. In Delhi, the estimated prevalence among MSM was 1.8 per cent. Despite free HIV testing services being made available by the National AIDS Control Programme for more than two decades, many MSM were not aware about their HIV status. Therefore, newer testing strategies are needed. Oral HIV self-testing (HIVST) has proved to be one such promising innovation. At present, there are no programme guidelines on HIVST and oral HIVST kit is not available in India. The aim of this study was to understand the perceived advantages and disadvantages of introduction of oral HIVST strategy among MSM. Methods: MSM who were registered with the selected non-governmental organizations working as targeted intervention sites in Delhi, India, were recruited for focus group discussions (FGDs) between January and May 2021. For the purpose of this study, MSM were defined as males who had anal/oral sex with male/hijra partner in the past one month. A total of six FGDs were conducted using a prepared FGD guide. The FGD guide included questions on problems faced during conventional HIV testing, participants’ awareness, acceptability and perceptions of oral HIVST. The data were manually coded and entered in NVivo release 1.5 and themes were identified. Results: A total of 67 respondents participated in the FGDs. A total of 28.4 per cent MSM were beggars at traffic lights, 12 per cent were sex workers and 11.9 per cent were bar/event dancers. Nearly half (50.7%) of the participants had undergone HIV testing less than twice in the preceding one year. None of the MSM were aware about oral HIVST. Perceived advantages of oral HIVST were ease of use, confidentiality and the non-invasive pain-free procedure. Perceived concerns included lack of post-test counselling, linkage to care, poor mental health outcomes and forced testing. Interpretation & conclusions: Most MSM had positive perceptions about oral HIVST. Therefore, it is likely that the introduction of oral HIVST may result in higher uptake of HIV testing among MSMen_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Community Medicineen_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsCentre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhien_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsIndependent Consultant, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Indiaen_US
dc.identifier.citationVashisht Shruti, Rai Sanjay, Kant Shashi, Haldar Partha, Misra Puneet, Goswami Kiran, Reddy D.C.S.. Oral HIV self-testing among men who have sex with men in New Delhi, India: Perceptions & apprehensions: A qualitative study. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2022 Dec; 156(6): 764-770en_US
dc.identifier.issn0971-5916
dc.identifier.placeIndiaen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/223704
dc.languageenen_US
dc.publisherWolters Kluwer – Medknowen_US
dc.relation.issuenumber6en_US
dc.relation.volume156en_US
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_718_22en_US
dc.subjectDelhien_US
dc.subjectHIV testingen_US
dc.subjectIndiaen_US
dc.subjectmen who have sex with menen_US
dc.subjectoral HIV self-testingen_US
dc.subjectqualitative studyen_US
dc.titleOral HIV self-testing among men who have sex with men in New Delhi, India: Perceptions & apprehensions: A qualitative studyen_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
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