Influences on HIV testing among young African‐American men who have sex with men and the moderating effect of the geographic setting

This study examined the influence of demographic characteristics, risk behaviors, knowledge, and psychosocial variables on HIV testing among a sample (n = 551) of young African-American men who have sex with men (MSM) from three cities—Atlanta (n = 241), Birmingham (n = 174), and Chicago (n = 136). Among the entire sample of young men, age, knowledge of HIV treatments, knowledge of a comfortable place for an HIV test, and social support were related positively to rates of HIV testing. Furthermore, men who had sex with both main male partner(s) and non-main male partner(s) during the past year had significantly higher rates of HIV testing than men who had non-main male partner(s) only. Geographic setting moderated the effect on HIV testing behavior. In particular, social support, peer norms about condom use, and knowledge of HIV treatments were not associated with HIV testing in Atlanta, but were associated positively with HIV testing in either Birmingham, Chicago, or both. The strongest influence on HIV testing across all three settings was knowledge of a comfortable place for an HIV test. Implications of these findings for designing interventions to increase HIV testing are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 45–60, 2004.