From: https://www.poz.com/article/hiv-testing-rates-low-among-teen-gay-bi-males By Benjamin Ryan
According to a new study, adolescent males who have sex with men have a very low rate of HIV testing. In light of this finding, researchers suggest that greater efforts be made to discuss sexual orientation and HIV testing with adolescent patients.
Brian Mustanski, PhD, of Northwestern University, and his colleagues conducted a study of 699 males aged 13 to 18 who had had sexual experience (not necessarily intercourse) with other men and evaluated the effects of HIV prevention programs. They published their findings in the journal Pediatrics.
Nearly half of the participants were Latino or African American
Only 23% of participants said they had ever been tested for HIV, 5.6% of those aged 13 and 14, 16% of those aged 15 and 16, and 38% of those aged 17 and 18.
Reporting that one has ever had sexual relations was associated with a 6.6 times greater likelihood of having an HIV test.
Sixty-eight percent of participants had a regular healthcare provider. However, only 21% of this group said they had discussed same-sex sexual behavior with their doctor; furthermore, only 19% said they had discussed HIV testing, and 29% said they had discussed their sexual orientation with their doctor.
Having a conversation with their doctor about HIV testing was associated with a 25-fold increased likelihood of getting tested. Three-quarters of the participants who had such a discussion had been tested for the virus, compared to 11% of the participants who had not had that conversation.