Knowledge and awareness of HIV self-testing among Australian gay and bisexual men: a comparison of never, sub-optimal and optimal testers willingness to use

This paper explores the willingness to use and pay for HIV Self-testing (HIVST) among Australian gay and bisexual men (GBM). Bivariate and univariate multinominal logistic regression of data from an online survey was performed. Thirty-one (13%) had never HIV tested and 41. 9% (88) were testing sub-optimally by Australian guidelines. Half (58. 4%, 136) had never heard of HIVST, however, 56. 2% (131) reported willingness to use HIVST, with sub-optimal (OR=2. 13; p < 0. 01) and never-testers (OR=2. 01; p < 0. 10) significantly more likely to do so than optimal-testers. Most were confident (51. 7%, 119) or somewhat confident (29. 1%, 67) accessing support following a reactive result, however, never-testers were significantly less confident compared to previous testers (OR=3. 47; p< 0. 05). Less than a quarter (23. 6%, 57) were willing to pay for a kit with AUD15 (R2 = 0. 9882) the estimated preferred price. This research confirms that HIVST is an important and accepted adjunct to established HIV testing modalities, particularly among sub-optimal and never-testers and that online (61. 6%, 143) or clinic-based (61. 6%, 143) dissemination are preferred. Research examining how best to disseminate HIVST in a range of safe and effective models needs to continue to ensure HIVST is part of a comprehensive strategy that facilitates usage and linkages to care.