Young adults' attitudes, beliefs, and feelings about testing for curable STDs outside of clinic settings

The purpose of this paper was to elicit attitudes, beliefs, and feelings about testing for curable STDs outside of clinic settings. Telephone interviews were conducted with 120 black, Latino, and white young adults aged 18 to 25 years. Data were analyzed with descriptive frequencies and content analyses. Most (73%) reported people their age would use self-test urine STD kits if available. Perceived advantages were privacy and convenience. Disadvantages included not having an immediate "face-to-face" discussion with a medical professional about positive tests. Young adults report a range of attitudes, beliefs, and feelings that may influence the success of efforts to screen for curable STDs in nonclinic settings.