Development of the Fogg Intent-to-Screen for HIV (ITS HIV) questionnaire.

In this paper, we describe the development and psychometric properties of the Fogg Intent-to-Screen for HIV questionnaire (ITS HIV), which measures peoples' beliefs and intentions toward HIV screening. The ITS HIV was developed using the Theory of Planned Behavior as the framework for a developmental process that included qualitative interviews, a validation phase, two pilot tests, and a field test of the final 55-item questionnaire. The field test involved 312 homeless persons from five New England states. Cronbach alphas of the direct measures scales ranged from .72 to .90. Findings from a path analysis verified the construct validity. The psychometric estimates from these analyses suggest the ITS HIV questionnaire is appropriate for use in clinical practice or to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.

HIV screening: beliefs and intentions of the homeless.

HIV screening is the first step in identifying HIV infection; however, the HIV screening rates remain low. Homeless people in the United States are at risk for HIV infection, yet their acceptance of HIV screening remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate beliefs and intentions of the homeless toward HIV screening. Using a survey design, this study applied the Theory of Planned Behavior to investigate attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control and their relationship to intention to screen for HIV. Homeless people (N = 323) from 12 different shelters participated in this study. The final path analysis explained 60% of homeless people's intentions to screen for HIV. Significant predictors included: attitude toward HIV screening, prior screening, age, and subjective norms. Implications include health provider recommendations for screening and increasing awareness of HIV risk behaviors for this vulnerable population.