Examining Correlates of Pre-ART and Early ART Adherence to Identify Key Factors Influencing Adherence Readiness

The trend, prevalence and potential risk factors of secondary HIV transmission among HIV/AIDS individuals receiving ART in Guangxi, China: a longitudinal cross-sectional study

Identifying the prevalence and risk factors of secondary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission from people living with HIV (PLWH) to other people is crucial for ending the HIV epidemic. However, the data among antiretroviral therapy (ART) patients is limited. This study aims to assess the prevalence and risk factors of secondary HIV transmission among PLWH receiving ART by longitudinal molecular networks in China. In this study, the prevalence of secondary HIV transmission was 10.8%. The R0 was greater than 1 from 2017 to 2021 and peaked in 2019. PLWHs who were male sex, older age, engaged in condomless sex, experienced higher ART follow-up viral load, experienced ART medical omissions, infected with non-CRF01_AE subtype, and self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at HIV diagnosis increased the risk of secondary HIV transmission. However, those participants with higher education were less likely to be involved in secondary HIV transmission. The diagnostic age of the participants was nonlinearly associated with the risk of secondary HIV transmission, with a cutoff value of 43.13 years indicating a higher risk of secondary HIV transmission for patients diagnosed at or above this age. This study revealed substantial secondary HIV transmission and persistent HIV expansion among local PLWH, highlighting the necessity of enhancing viral load monitor, promoting adherence to ART, and promoting safe sex practices, particularly among older adults with HIV, to mitigate secondary HIV transmission.

Navigating Turbulent Waves of Emotions: Multi-Level Stress and Coping Among Chinese Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV

Men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a disproportionate burden of HIV in China and are particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges. This study is phase one of a multi-phase project that aimed to identify unmet needs of MSM living with HIV to inform the development of a multi-level intervention. We interviewed 24 stakeholders through videoconferencing, including 15 MSM living with HIV, five staff from a community-based organization serving gender and sexual minority individuals, and four staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Shanghai, China. We conducted content analysis using inductive and deductive coding and identified the following themes: 1) Navigating Turbulent Waters: multi-level stress currents; 2) Mapping Anchors: multifaceted support network; 3) Staying Afloat: Daily strategies and functioning; and 4) Charting New Courses: paths for intervention. Examining the stress and coping process among MSM living with HIV from a socio-ecological lens is especially important in the collective cultural context. The interactive nature of the stress from multiple socio-ecological levels, lack of individual coping skills, and scarcity of psychosocial services highlighted the importance of community-based, multi-level interventions to meet the needs of MSM living with HIV in China.

An Analysis and Evaluation of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) Model for Antiretroviral Therapy

We use Fawcett and DeSanto-Madeya's framework to critique Fisher and Fisher's information-motivation-behavioral skills model and determine its usefulness and applicability for nursing. Our analysis and evaluation show that the model is a parsimonious and useful situation-specific theory for guiding nursing research and practice because it shows good fit with the nursing context, has social and theoretical significance, and exhibits empirical and pragmatic adequacy. More consistency in using terms referring to each concept would help to improve the model's internal consistency. The model's testability could also be improved by measuring health outcomes (eg, viral load or CD4 count) in future research.

Examining Geographical Differences in the HIV Care Continuum Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Mexico

We analyzed data collected by the Encuesta de Sexo Entre Hombres study from 15,233 Mexican men who have sex with men (MSM) between May-July 2017 to examine differences in the HIV care continuum. Data were stratified into 6 geographical regions. Prevalence ratios assessed associations between region and care outcomes. Among participants never testing HIV positive (n = 13,583), 66.1% had ever been tested and 43.0% in the past year. Among HIV-positive persons (n = 1,650), 83.9% reported counseling post-diagnosis, 61.9% timely linkage to care, 42.4% timely CD4/viral load results, 38.2% timely access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 87.7% were currently on ART. The Ciudad de México /Estado de México region had significantly superior care continuum outcomes in ever and recent HIV testing, linkage to care, CD4/viral load results, and current ART use. Understanding geographical variations in HIV care for MSM in Mexico is one important step to inform efforts for ending HIV/AIDS by 2030 in Latin America.

Mediators and moderators of ART adherence effects of supporting treatment adherence readiness through training (START): evidence that START helps vulnerable clients achieve better adherence

Supporting Treatment Adherence Readiness through Training (START) is an HIV antiretroviral adherence intervention, based on the Information Motivation and Behavioral skills (IMB) model, that significantly improved adherence in our randomized controlled trial. To understand how and for whom START had its effects on adherence, we examined mediators and moderators. Ninety-nine HIV-patients (53 control, 46 intervention) who enrolled in the trial and provided month 6 electronic monitored adherence data. The intervention was associated with increased adherence-related knowledge and lower impulsive/careless problem solving, but had no effects on other IMB-related constructs. Neither of these variables mediated the adherence effects of the intervention (based on linear regression models with bootstraping for unbiased standard errors). Four variables interacted with the intervention to moderate its effects: the intervention group had consistent high adherence across the range of depression and time since HIV diagnosis, compared to lower adherence with higher values in the usual care control; those with unstable housing or frequent drug use had higher adherence if in the intervention group compared to the control group. These findings suggest that START provides support that enables its recipients to cope with and overcome challenges (e.g., depression, unstable housing, drug use) that would typically impede adherence.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02329782.