Background
The burden of HIV infection is particularly high among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Los Angeles (LA) County. In 2011, there were 36,330 MSM living with HIV/AIDS and in LA County, 10,833 of which were unaware of their infection. That population disproportionately includes African Americans, who are the most vulnerable demographic group affected by HIV infection. In 2011, African Americans had the highest rate of infections for any demographic group at 966 per 100,000 persons in LA. In addition, African American MSM in LA are 4 times more likely than white MSM not to know they are infected with HIV.
A recent study examined HIV testing preferences among high risk MSM in LA and found that, of 75 MSM surveyed, an in-home, immediate, and free HIV test had the highest acceptability. In 2012, the FDA approved the OraQuick® In-Home HIV test, which allows for private, rapid self-testing at home, and helps to overcome stigma, which is a major barrier to testing. Stigma towards HIV infection is particularly high in the African American MSM community, and research has shown that stigma reduces people's willingness to test for diseases such as HIV/AIDS. New in-home HIV testing methods may further reduce barriers due to stigma that are associated with conventional provider-based testing by making the testing experience private and self-controlled. We examined the feasibility of piloting a commercial voucher program for free OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test kits targeting high-risk African American MSM in LA.