Reliability of self-report of HIV status among men who have sex with men in Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of self-reported HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Brazil. METHODS: MSM 18 years of age or older were recruited to a multicenter study using respondent-driven sampling. We compared self-report of the HIV test with a rapid HIV test using the kappa coefficient. RESULTS: A total of 3859 MSM were recruited, and 39% reported ever having an HIV test; their results were reported and they agreed to a new test. Agreement between self-report and the test was very good (kappa = 0.88). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that self-report of HIV infection is a reliable indicator among MSM.