Factors affecting the uptake of HIV testing among men

This study aimed to explore factors shaping the decision to undergo Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing among men in rural Burkina Faso. The study took place in 2009 in the Nouna Health District and adopted a triangulation mixed methods design. Nouna Health District, is located in north-western Burkina Faso. At the time of the study, the district had a population of approximately 311,000 distributed in 300 villages and included 31 first-line facilities, Centres de Santé et de Promotion Sociale (CSPS)and one district hospital. A sub-portion of the district has been part of a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) for over 15 years. Following national policy, starting in 2006, all CSPS were equipped to offer HIV counseling and testing to pregnant women and their partners as the entry point to PMTCT services. Explicit efforts were made to address the need for couple counseling and testing, encouraging spouses to be tested together with their pregnant wives. In addition, providers were encouraged to offe r testing to anyone requesting it and/or to anyone who presented with potential symptoms of infection. The quantitative component relied on data collected through a structured survey on a representative sample of 1130 households. The qualitative component relied on 38 in-depth interviews, with men purposely selected to represent variation in testing decision, age, and place of residence. Household survey data were analyzed using Stata 11 (Stata Corporation, Texas, USA). The outcome variable was defined as “having tested for HIV”