COMPARISON OF THE CLIENTELE OF AN ANONYMOUS HIV TEST CENTER AND PERSONS TESTED IN THE GENERAL-POPULATION

This study compares the clientele of a Swiss anonymous test centre wit h the general population tested. Information was obtained through simi lar questionnaires submitted to two samples of HIV-tested people aged fi om 17 to 45 years: the first administered in the context of a gener al population telephone survey (n = 245) and the second completed duri ng face-to-face interviews of the clientele of an anonymous test centr e (n = 250). The test centre sample has higher proportions of younger and single people. Attenders for anonymous testing were more likely to have acquired a new regular partner during the year preceding the int erview (48.0% versus 14.4%). These differences remain when controlling for age and gender. Decision to test comes mostly from the respondent 's own initiative, but suggestion from a doctor is more frequent in th e general population (23.8% versus 0.8%), whereas suggestion from part ner or friends is more frequent in the anonymous centre (44.4% versus 3.0%. The anonymous test centre clientele is not different from the ge neral population tested except for the relational situation and origin of decision for testing. The test centre has become a place where the general population finds a response to a situation-specific need for HIV testing.