HIV Testing by Transgender Status at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–Funded Sites in the United States, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands, 2009–2011

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We examined HIV testing services, seropositivity, and the characteristics associated with newly identified, confirmed HIV-positive tests among transgender individuals. METHODS: We analyzed data (2009-2011) using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression to examine the relationships between HIV positivity and sociodemographic and risk characteristics among male-to-female transgender individuals. RESULTS: Most of the testing was conducted in females (51.1%), followed by males (48.7%) and transgender individuals (0.17%). Tests in male-to-female transgender individuals had the highest, newly identified confirmed HIV positivity (2.7%), followed by males (0.9%), female-to-male transgender individuals (0.5%), and females (0.2%). The associated characteristics with an HIV-positive test among male-to-female transgender individuals included ages 20 to 29 and 40 to 49 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4, 5.6 and AOR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.3, 5.9, respectively), African American (AOR = 4.6; 95% CI = 2.7, 7.9) or Hispanic/Latino (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.5, 4.5) race/ethnicity, and reporting sex without condom within the past year (AOR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.3, 2.6), sex with an HIV-positive person (AOR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.1, 2.0), or injection drug use (AOR = 2.0; 95% CI = 1.3, 3.0). CONCLUSIONS: High levels of HIV positivity among transgender individuals, particularly male-to-female transgender individuals, underscore the necessity for targeted HIV prevention services that are responsive to the needs of this population.