Perceived need for HIV testing among rural and urban African American cocaine users

Background Incidence rates of HIV continue to be disproportionately high among African Americans compared to other races, especially in the South. Although we have some information about testing among African Americans, most surveys do not include homeless, impoverished, or other disenfranchised and therefore hard-to-reach groups, many of whom may be particularly high-risk for HIV infection, and few studies have compared HIV testing among rural and urban African Americans. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to address this gap by systematically examining perceived need for HIV testing among rural as compared to urban African American cocaine users.