Most teenage boys in the U.S. who are at risk for contracting HIV infections have not been tested, but conversations with their physicians can boost those testing rates, a study published in Pediatrics suggests.
Researchers collected data as part of an ongoing trial of teen boys who have sex with same-sex partners. They gathered data for 699 boys younger than 18.
Only 23.2 percent of participants had ever had an HIV test; 77 percent had not. Most participants had a regular physician (67.5 percent), but few had conversations about same-sex sexual behaviors (21.3 percent), HIV testing (19.2 percent), or sexual orientation (29.2 percent).
Of the those who had conversations with their physicians about HIV testing, about 75.4 percent reported being tested, while only 10.8 percent who didn't talk with their physicians about the testing got it done anyway.