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This qualitative study takes place in an urban community that has high rates of HIV among Black youth. Six faith leaders were interviewed (five identified as Christian and one identified as Muslim). Three major themes arose from the interviews, including (1) the role of sex and HIV; (2) hindrances to sexual health conversations with youth; and (3) considering religious principles to prevent HIV in Black youth. Findings from this study can be used to inform an HIV-prevention curriculum for Black youth who identify strongly with their religion and spirituality and live in high HIV-risk communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black women in the United States continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. HIV testing is an important preventative step in the HIV continuum of care, however there is little known about HIV testing among these groups. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the HIV testing behaviors of Black transgender women and explore differences in predictors of HIV testing among Black cisgender and transgender women. This study uses secondary data from the 2014-2017 modules of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Analyses included multiple hierarchical regression. There are no major differences in HIV testing between Black cisgender and transgender women. A number of sociodemographic characteristics have been shown to predict HIV testing among Black cisgender women, but only employment status and age were significant predictors of HIV testing among Black transgender women. A moderation analysis suggested that gender identity significantly moderates the association between employment status and HIV testing such that the relationship between employment status and receiving an HIV test differs by gender identity. The findings of this study highlight nuances in HIV testing among Black cisgender and transgender women that are useful for improving HIV testing as a mode of HIV prevention. Overall, the findings contribute to our understanding of HIV testing practices among Black cisgender and transgender women., Competing Interests: Author Note This study received approval from the Institutional Review Board at Michigan State University (MSU STUDY ID: STUDY00003157). I would like to thank my committee members Drs. Kaston Anderson-Carpenter, William Chopik, Ignacio Acevedo Polakovich, and Jae Puckett for their support and guidance on this project. I have no conflicts of interest to declare.