Psychosocial factors associated with HIV testing in Colombian university students

The objectives of this research were: (a) to relate sexual risk, knowledge, and attitudes towards HIV testing in Colombian university students; and (b) to describe the perceived barriers in those who had not been tested, analyzing the differences according to sex. A cross-sectional study was carried out, in which 1057 Colombian university students participated. The instruments applied were the Cuestionario Confidencial Vida Sexual Activa (CCVSA, for its Spanish acronym), the tests Barreras Hacia la Prueba del VIH, Escala de Actitudes hacia el VIH-Sida and an ad hoc questionnaire on knowledge about the test. The students who were tested (n = 214) reported a lower age of sexual initiation (p < .01), a higher number of sexual partners (p = .01), and a lower use of condoms in the first (p = .02) and last (p = .04) sexual intercourse. They also reported more knowledge about HIV testing (p < .001). The main barriers were associated with low risk perception of the disease (29.8 %), trust in sexual partners (29.2 %), and lack of offer of the test (25.2 %). In conclusion, being tested for HIV is related to exposure to risky sexual behaviors and to knowledge about the test, but not to attitudes towards it. The identification of the associated psychosocial factors could contribute to the design of interventions aimed at the prevention and timely treatment of the disease. Key words: HIV, HIV testing, screening, students, barriers.