New Survey Shows HIV Testing Up Among Teens, Young Adults

A new analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics showed that 19 percent of Americans age 15-44 had been tested for HIV in the past year, and that testing was up among teens and young adults.

The NCHS and the CDC analyzed data from the National Survey of Family Growth from 2011-2013 of nearly 6,000 females and 5,000 males, age 15-44.

Overall, testing was up 2 percent compared with previous surveys in 2002, and 2006-2010.

The survey showed that that women age 25-34 were most likely to have been tested (29 percent) followed by women age 15-24 (22 percent) and women age 35-44 (16 percent).

Racially, black women were more likely to be tested with 45 percent having been tested in the last year. That's compared to Hispanic (21 percent) and white (16 percent) women.

Similarly, black men were more likely to be tested (33 percent) than Hispanic (15) or white (10) men. Of the men surveyed, 25-to-34-year-olds were the most likely to be tested (19 percent), followed by men age 15-24 (16) and age 35-44 (13).

The survey also measured by gender and number of sex partners, showing that women with two or more opposite-sex partners and no same-sex partners were most likely to get tested at 39 percent, followed by women with one or more same-sex partner.

Men with one or more same-sex partner, however, were more likely to get tested (37 percent) than men with two or more opposite-sex partners and no same-sex partners (30 percent).

Researchers surmised that the differences in testing could be attributed to pregnancy, having multiple sex partners, or having a same-sex partner.