You probably have thought about it, have seen the after-school specials and have been inundated with information about HIV since that first uncomfortable health class in middle school. Yet many college students today have never been tested for HIV. Admittedly, being tested for HIV is not exactly up there with a spa holiday in terms of leisurely activities, but even if it won’t improve the circulation in your cuticles, it’s certainly less messy than a mud bath. At the very least, you should know the facts about HIV testing so you can make your own informed decision about whether to take a test.
A recent study done at the University of Georgia revealed an interesting disconnect in college students’ knowledge base about HIV. While these 500 students got an average of 82 percent of questions correct about HIV and AIDS in general — a respectable B, they scored closer to 72 percent correct when it came to questions specifically related to HIV testing — more like a C.
As an interesting adjunct to this study, the researchers addressed the issue of race. Within the U.S., blacks are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, while blacks make up only 13 percent of the U.S. population, they account for about half of people in the U.S. affected by the disease. Few studies, however, have investigated the possible difference in the level of knowledge about HIV between black and white Americans. Su-I Hou, the researcher who performed the study at Georgia, surveyed 222 black college students and 335 white college students, recruiting via Facebook, e-mail, flyers and classroom announcements.
Hou found no significant difference between the two groups in terms of general HIV knowledge or knowledge about HIV testing. The black students, however, rated higher in terms of perceived knowledge of HIV, and were almost seven times as likely as the white students to be tested for HIV. Hou concluded that taking ownership of knowledge about HIV may lead to a higher likelihood of testing.
There are several important points about HIV testing. First of all, timing is everything. It is wise to get tested before you are worried, even if just to have a baseline. Get tested at your next doctor’s appointment and follow up regularly if you are engaging in high-risk behavior such as using intravenous drugs or having unprotected sex.
If you are worried that you have been exposed, keep in mind that most HIV tests do not measure the actual virus in your bloodstream; they measure antibodies to the virus that may take months to form. Thus, immediately after an exposure, your test results could be negative, but this would be a false negative because your body is still working on cranking out those antibodies. Ninety-seven percent of people will form antibodies within the first three months after an exposure.
Now for the million-dollar question: where to get tested? With all of the options available nowadays, there is likely one that will suit your schedule and anxiety level. You don’t need to go incognito, spend a lot of money, drive far or wait long. If you are worried about the test being on your Student Health record, you can get tested anonymously at the Virginia Health Department, the AIDS/HIV Services Group, or Planned Parenthood. In addition, the latter two options offer the rapid HIV test, the results of which are available within an hour. Otherwise, with the standard test you probably will have to come back to the clinic to get your results — even if they are negative — and this can provoke anxiety. Regardless of your test’s result, each of these centers, including Student Health, offers counseling. Being tested for HIV can be a mentally challenging process, but taking charge of your health is absolutely vital in order to protect yourself and the ones you love.
Emily is a University Medical student. She can be reached at e.graham@cavalierdaily.com.
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