Background: Rates of STIs have steadily increased in the past decade; more than 2.5 million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia were reported in the US in 2022. While a lack of access to care partially drives these rates, those who do have access to care should also receive adequate STI prevention services.
Methods: We will present results from an analysis assessing missed opportunities for STI testing among sexually active individuals who received birth control services (a medical test or counseling related to birth control, but not STI testing in the past 12 months) and had an increased need for testing (ever had an STI; used or had a sex partner who used drugs; engaged in transactional sex; or had multiple partners or a partner with multiple partners). Using the 2015-19 waves of the National Survey of Family Growth female respondent file to run weighted tabulations and Pearson’s Chi-Square tests, we assessed the rate of missed opportunities overall and by specific reasons for increased need, and tested differences in missed opportunities by demographic characteristics.
Results: Results suggest that overall, 27.2% of sexually active individuals with an increased need for STI testing received birth control services but not STI testing in the past year. For example, 31.1% of those who’ve ever had an STI, and 34.0% of those had a sex partner who uses IV drugs had missed opportunities. Additionally, rates of missed opportunities were higher among those with private insurance (31.5%), 15–19-year-olds (35.6%), and rural residents (32.8%).
Conclusion: Rates of missed opportunities for STI testing are alarmingly high. Results demonstrate gaps in STI testing in the context of birth control services, particularly among rural patients and adolescents. The presenters will invite participants to discuss barriers to STI testing overall, and programmatic and policy-based interventions to better incorporate STI testing in birth control care.
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