By: Eric Brus
More than half (52%) of U.S. men who identify as gay or bisexual consider HIV/AIDS to be the most important health issue for their community, according to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The 35-page report summarizes findings from a nationally representative survey of 431 men identifying as gay and bisexual. About half (49%) of the gay and bisexual men surveyed said HIV/AIDS is a “very” or “somewhat” significant issue for them personally, but only about a third (35%) said they were personally concerned about becoming infected, and over half (56%) said they were not personally concerned. When the survey participants were asked to describe the most important issue facing gay and bisexual men today, the greatest number (43%) cited discrimination or lack of acceptance as their highest concern, followed by equal rights (26%), and marriage equality (24%), and HIV/AIDS (20%).
HIV Testing: Contrary to CDC recommendations that gay and bisexual men undergo frequent HIV testing, 70% of the men surveyed said they had not been tested for HIV during the previous year, and three in ten (30%) said they had never been tested for HIV. Compared to gay and bisexual men aged 35 and older, younger men were about twice as likely to say that they had never been tested for HIV (44% versus 21%).
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[…] HIV Testing: Contrary to CDC recommendations that gay and bisexual men undergo frequent HIV testing, 70% of the men surveyed said they had not been tested for HIV during the previous year, and three in ten (30%) said they had never been tested for HIV. Compared to gay and bisexual men aged 35 …read more […]