Investigating factors that influence participation in voluntary hiv/aids counseling and testing among community college students

Despite public health efforts to decrease the number of high-risk and vulnerable population groups who are unaware of their human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, HIV screening among college students remains low and understudied. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the factors that affect voluntary counseling and screening/testing for HIV among college students. Using the health belief model (HBM) as a theoretical framework, the study explored the association between the six constructs of the HBM and the intention to screen/test for HIV among students in a large community college. It was hypothesized that the higher the perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, and cues to action, the higher college students' intentions to test for HIV. Data were collected from a purposeful sample of 189 college students. Bivariate and step-wise multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the statistical association of each of the six HBM constructs and intention to screen for HIV, controlling for the effects of selected social and demographic characteristics of the respondents. The results indicated that all HBM variables except cues to action, were positively associated with intention to test for HIV, and with perceived benefits (p = 0.023) having the strongest association. These results of this research underscore the important factors that predict intention to screen for HIV among college students. Understanding the factors that influence intention for HIV testing is needed in order to formulate public health policies and design of programs and interventions aimed at increasing the number of people who get tested for HIV.