Factors Beyond Compensation Associated with Uptake of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision in Zambia
AbstractVoluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) provides partial protection against female-to-male transmission of HIV. The Maximizing the Impact of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision in Zambia (MAXZAM) project was a phased implementation of a demand generation strategy for VMMC through economic compensation. Previously published findings showed increased uptake of VMMC when compensation was provided. This paper is a follow-up evaluation of the MAXZAM project exploring additional factors associated with uptake of VMMC. Factors found associated include the outreach setting in which men were approached, number of informa...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
“Him Leaving Me – That is My Fear Now”: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Relationship Dissolution Between Ugandan Pregnant and Postpartum Women Living with HIV and Their Male Partners
AbstractHigh rates of relationship dissolution among pregnant women living with HIV (PWLHIV) and their male partners might increase mothers ’ and children’s vulnerability to financial hardship and poor health outcomes. This mixed methods analysis identified factors associated with separation between PWLHIV and their male partners. We utilized data from a randomized controlled trial (www.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03484533) of 500 PWLHIV attending antenatal care in Uganda and 237 male partners between 2018 and 2020 and followed until 12 months postpartum. Multivariate regression models estimated the impact of relationship ...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
Association of Illicit Fentanyl Use with Injection Risk Practices Among People who Inject Drugs
AbstractWe investigated the association between fentanyl injection frequency and sharing of injection equipment among people who inject drugs. We surveyed 249 people who inject drugs in Toronto in 2019. We estimated predicted probabilities of associations between fentanyl injection frequency and injection risk practices. In prior 6 months, 117 (47.0%) of participants injected fentanyl daily, 49 (19.7%) less than daily, and 78 (31.3%) did not inject fentanyl. Participants who injected fentanyl daily shared syringes more often than those not injecting fentanyl (25.0% vs. 4.9%; χ2 = 11.54, p = 0.0007). Participant...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
The Effect of Navigation on Linkage to a PrEP Provider Among PrEP-Eligible Men who have Sex with Men in a U.S. Demonstration Project
We describe PrEP linkage and navigation use among MSM in THRIVE. We performed multivariable probit regression modeling, controlling for demographic covariates, to estimate the association between navigation and linkage to a PrEP provider among MSM and to assess for disparities in linkage to PrEP among MSM who used navigation. Among 9538 PrEP-eligible MSM, 51.3% used navigation and 53.8% were linked to PrEP. From the three sites where navigation was optional and the main form of PrEP support, MSM who used navigation were 16.69 times (95% CI 13.07–21.32) more likely to link to PrEP co mpared with MSM who did not use naviga...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
Contingency Management for Integrated Harm Reduction Among Men Who Have Sex with Men Who Use Methamphetamine in Los Angeles: A Pilot Assessment
AbstractMethamphetamine (MA) use is associated with HIV transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) and lapses in medication adherence. Contingency Management (CM) is effective in reducing MA use, but studies of CM to support adherence to HIV prevention or treatment are limited. We conducted a pilot trial of a CM intervention to reduce MA use and improve PrEP/ART adherence among MSM prescribed a tenofovir (TFV)-based regimen for HIV prevention or treatment. Participants were randomly assigned to receive escalating incentives for either MA abstinence or TFV adherence (based on point-of-care urine testing), and to a m...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
Understanding Oral Prep Interest Among South African Adolescents: The Role of Perceived Parental Support and PrEP Stigma
In conclusion, parents were more supportive of their adolescent taking PrEP than adolescents perceived they would be, and perceptions of low parental support and greater PrEP stigma were associated with reduced PrEP interest among adolescents. Interventions should aim to improve adolescent-parent communication around sexual health and effective HIV prevention tools. (Source: AIDS and Behavior)
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stress, Isolation, Smoking Behaviors, and Motivation to Quit in People with HIV Who Smoke
AbstractPeople with HIV (PWH) smoke at higher rates compared with the general population and have lower cessation rates. The primary aim of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on smoking in PWH. A survey was administered to participants in two smoking cessation trials in the United States. Mean cigarettes per day was 13.9 (SD 8.6), and participants reported they had smoked on average for 30.93 years (SD 10.4). More than half (55.7%) of participants (N = 140) reported not changing their smoking during the pandemic, while 15% reported decreasing, and 25% reported increasing their smoking. In b...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
Alexithymia Among People Living with HIV: A Scoping Review
AbstractThe present scoping review aimed to identify studies that investigated alexithymia, defined as a difficulty in identifying and describing one ’s own emotions, in people living with HIV (PLWH).A literature search, in line with the guidelines of PRISMA-ScR, was conducted in the following bibliographic databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. The databases were queried using the following strings (using Boolean operators): ( “alexithymia” OR “alexithymic”) AND (“HIV” OR “Human Immunodeficiency Virus”). In line with the eligibility criteria, fourteen articles were found.Ten studies showed the ...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
Does the Relationship Between HIV Stigma Subtypes and Viral Suppression Differ by Age?: A Stratified Analysis of Data from the Florida Medical Monitoring Project
AbstractHIV-related stigma is recognized as a top barrier to achieve viral suppression in the United States, but data describing who is most affected by HIV stigma is limited. The study sought to (1) identify the relationships between HIV-related stigma and unsuppressed viral load and (2) examine whether the association between HIV stigma subtypes and unsuppressed viral load differ by age group (i.e., 18 –34, 35–49, and 50+ years-old) using surveillance data from the Florida Medical Monitoring Project (n = 1195). Most participants were 50+ years-old (55%), male (71%), and Black (51%). Enacted stigma was signifi...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
Global Online Interest in HIV/AIDS care Services in the time of COVID-19: A Google Trends Analysis
AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic has compounded the challenge of HIV/AIDS elimination, creating difficulties in accessing HIV care services such as early testing and treatment. This paper characterized the global online interest in HIV care services-related search terms before and during the pandemic. Global online search interest for HIV was measured using the Google Trends ™ database. Spearman’s rank-order correlation correlated country-specific characteristics and HIV prevalence data with the search volume index (SVI). We found a significant decrease in the global online search interest for HIV/AIDS care services-relat...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
Binge Drinking Moderates Unprotected Sex Among HIV Sero-Similar Same Sex Male Couples: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model
AbstractMost new HIV diagnoses in the US occur among sexual minority men (SMM). The majority (69%) of new HIV diagnoses among US SMM are due to transmission from main sex partners. We identified multilevel correlates of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI; condomless anal intercourse while not using a biomedical strategy) among SMM couples using the Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). Participants were US SMM over 18 years, with a primary male partner > 6 months. Couples were recruited online from April 2016 until June 2017 and interviewed using self-administered computer-assisted surveys. We used a series...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
“Men Rule… this is the Normal Thing. We Normalise it and it’s Wrong”: Gendered Power in Decision-Making Around Sex and Condom Use in Heterosexual Relationships Amongst Adolescents and Young People in South Africa
We examined power and decision-making in heterosexual relationships amongst South African adolescents and young people. A survey conducted with 515 adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) included items from the Sexual Relationship Power Scale (SRPS) adapted for South African women. Qualitative interviews with fifty AGYW aged between 15 and 24, and nine males aged 18 years and above, explored decision-making in heterosexual relationships, particularly relating to timing of sex and condom use. Theories of gendered power, sexual relationship power and sexual scripting were used in interpreting the data. Findings showed that ...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
Longitudinal Trajectories of Alcohol Use in Vietnamese Adults with Hazardous Alcohol Use and HIV
AbstractA three-armed drinking cessation trial in Vietnam found that both a brief and intensive version of an intervention effectively reduced hazardous drinking in people living with HIV. We used group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) to assess the extent to which findings may vary by latent subgroups distinguished by their unique responses to the intervention. Using data on drinking patterns collected over the 12 months, GBTM identified five trajectory groups, three of which were suboptimal [“non-response” (17.2%); “non-sustained response” (15.7%), “slow response” (13.1%)] and two optimal [“abstinent” (...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
Slow and Steady But Not Related to HIV Stigma: Physical Activity in South Africans Living with HIV and Chronic Pain
AbstractHIV stigma may influence physical activity in people living with HIV (PLWH) and chronic pain. We prospectively examined the relationship between stigma, activity and chronic pain in a convenience sample of PLWH initiating antiretroviral therapy in an inner-city clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa. Participants wore accelerometers to measure daily duration and intensity of activity for 2 weeks. Stigma was assessed with the Revised HIV Stigma Scale. Participants [n = 81, 89% female, age mean (SD) 42 (8)] were active for a median of 7 h daily (IQR 5.2, 9.2), but at very low intensity, equivalent to a slow walk ...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
Same-Sex Marriage Laws, Provider-Patient Communication, and PrEP Awareness and Use Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who have Sex with Men in the United States
AbstractState-level structural stigma and its consequences in healthcare settings shape access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Our objective was to assess the relationships between same-sex marriage laws, a measure of structural stigma at the state level, provider-patient communication about sex, and GBMSM awareness and use of PrEP. Using data from the Fenway Institute ’s MSM Internet Survey collected in 2013 (N = 3296), we conducted modified Poisson regression analyses to evaluate associations between same-sex marriage legality, ...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - May 1, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research
