Acceptability and correlates of HIV self-testing among university students in northern Nigeria

Concerns about stigma and confidentiality limit the uptake of HIV testing and counseling (HTC) among young adults. HIV self-testing has been offered as a youth-friendly alternative to conventional HTC. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess HTC uptake, willingness to self-test, and their predictors among university students (n = 399) in Kano, Nigeria. Anonymous self-administered questionnaires were provided to participants. Adjusted odd ratios were generated for predictors with logistic regression models. The results showed that only 35.8% (n = 143) of participants had previous HTC.Most respondents (70.4%,n = 281) were willing to self-test. HTC was associated with year of college (500 Level vs. 100 Level), adjusted odds ratio (AOR, [95% Confidence Interval (CI)] = 0.44 (0.19-0.97), campus residence (off- vs. on-campus, AOR = 0.45; 95%CI: 0.28-0.73), sexual activity in the past six months (AOR = 0.39; 95%CI: 0.24-0.64), willingness to self-test (AOR = 0.38; 95%CI: 0.22-0.66), and consistent condom use (AOR = 4.45; 95%CI: 1.41-14.08). Students who were older (>= 30 vs. <20 years, AOR = 0.20; 95%CI: 0.05-0.90) and female (AOR = 0.56; 95%CI: 0.32-0.98) were less likely to be willing to self-test, whereas students who were more senior (500 Level vs. 100 Level, AOR = 5.24; 95%CI: 1.85-14.84), enrolled in clinical science programs (vs. agriculture, AOR = 4.92; 95%CI: 1.51-16.05) or belonging to other ethnic groups (vs. Hausa-Fulani, AOR = 2.40; 95%CI: 1.11-5.19) were more willing to self-test. Overall HTC uptake was low, but acceptability of self-testing was high. College seniority, age, ethnicity, and program of study were associated with willingness to self-test. Our findings support the feasibility of scaling up HIV self-testing among university students in Nigeria.