Socio-demographic, health-related, and individual correlates of diagnostic self-testing by lay people: Results from a representative survey in Germany

INTRODUCTION: A broad range of self-tests (testing for e.g. HIV, cancer, hepatitis B/C) have become available and can be conducted by lay consumers without the help of a health professional. The aims of this study were to (a) investigate the prevalence of self-testing, (b) identify the most frequently used self-tests, and (c) explore the associations between socio-demographic, health-related and individual factors with self-testing. METHODS: A face-to-face plus paper-pencil cross-sectional survey was conducted. The sample consisted of 2.527 respondents who were representative of the German population in terms of the age, sex, and residence. Basic descriptive statistics and univariate logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: 8.5% of the participants reported having used one or more self-tests in the past, totalling 363 self-tests, with a mean of 1.7 (min. = 1, max. = 6). The three self-tests most frequently indicated were for detecting diabetes, bowel cancer, and allergies. Self-testers were older (Nagelkerke R(2) = .006, p < .01), had a higher BMI (Nagelkerke R(2) = .013, p < .001) and displayed more physical and mental fatigue (Nagelkerke R(2) = .031, p < .001) than non-testers. Self-testers also reported higher global life satisfaction values (Nagelkerke R(2) = .008, p < .01) and a higher educational level (Nagelkerke R(2) = .015, p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Self-testing is fairly prevalent in Germany Given the current shortage of physicians in Germany, especially in rural areas, and recent studies on the use of self-medication, the topic of self-testing has a great practical and socio-political relevance. Future studies should investigate further predictors of self-testing (e.g. contextual, situational and individual factors) as well as the emotional consequences of testing as a layperson without the attendance of a health professional.