Disclosure of sexual orientation and uptake of HIV testing and hepatitis vaccination for rural men who have sex with men

Abstract

Purpose The decision and ability of primary care clinician to make recommendations for routine human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing and hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines are shaped by knowledge of their patient’s risk behaviors. For men who have sex with men, such knowledge requires disclosure of same-sex sexual behavior or sexual identity. Methods Data were analyzed from a national survey of rural men who have sex with men (N = 319) to understand whether the disclosure of sexual identity to clinicians was associated with increased uptake of HIV testing and hepatitis vaccinations. Results We found that disclosure of sexual identity to clinicians was significantly associated (OR = 1.26; 95% CI, 1.08-1.47) with uptake of routine HIV testing and HAV/HBV vaccination. Conclusion Our finding reinforces the need for safe, nonjudgmental settings for patients to discuss their sexual identities freely with their clinicians.