Perceived Risk of HIV Infection Among Drug-Using African American Male Prisoners: One Year After Community Re-entry

Adoption of Preventive Measures During the Very Early Phase of the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: National Cross-sectional Survey Study

BACKGROUND

The outbreak of COVID-19 in China occurred around the Chinese New Year (January 25, 2020), and infections decreased continuously afterward. General adoption of preventive measures during the Chinese New Year period was crucial in driving the decline. It is imperative to investigate preventive behaviors among Chinese university students, who could have spread COVID-19 when travelling home during the Chinese New Year break.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we investigated levels of COVID-19-related personal measures undertaken during the 7-day Chinese New Year holidays by university students in China, and associated COVID-19-related cognitive factors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional anonymous web-based survey was conducted during the period from February 1 to 10, 2020. Data from 23,863 students (from 26 universities, 16 cities, 13 provincial-level regions) about personal measures (frequent face-mask wearing, frequent handwashing, frequent home staying, and an indicator that combined the 3 behaviors) were analyzed (overall response rate 70%). Multilevel multiple logistic regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Only 28.0% of respondents (6684/23,863) had left home for >4 hours, and 49.3% (11,757/23,863) had never left home during the 7-day Chinese New Year period; 79.7% (19,026/23,863) always used face-masks in public areas. The frequency of handwashing with soap was relatively low (6424/23,863, 26.9% for >5 times/day); 72.4% (17,282/23,863) had frequently undertaken ≥2 of these 3 measures. COVID-19-related cognitive factors (perceptions on modes of transmission, permanent bodily damage, efficacy of personal or governmental preventive measures, nonavailability of vaccines and treatments) were significantly associated with preventive measures. Associations with frequent face-mask wearing were stronger than those with frequent home staying.

CONCLUSIONS

University students had strong behavioral responses during the very early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak. Levels of personal prevention, especially frequent home staying and face-mask wearing, were high. Health promotion may modify cognitive factors. Some structural factors (eg, social distancing policy) might explain why the frequency of home staying was higher than that of handwashing. Other populations might have behaved similarly; however, such data were not available to us.

Longitudinal pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) acceptability, initiation and adherence among criminal justice-involved adults in the USA: the Southern PrEP Cohort Study (SPECS) protocol

INTRODUCTION

HIV prevalence among criminal justice (CJ)-involved adults is five times higher than the general population. Following incarceration, CJ-involved individuals experience multilevel barriers to HIV prevention. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a widely available, daily medication efficacious in preventing HIV. Little is known about PrEP knowledge, acceptability, initiation and sustained use among CJ-involved persons or about how these outcomes vary by multilevel factors. The Southern Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Study (SPECS) will investigate barriers and facilitators for PrEP initiation and sustained use among CJ-involved adults, building a foundation for PrEP interventions for this underserved population.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

SPECS uses a mixed-methods sequential design, including a multisite, prospective cohort study in three southern states-North Carolina, Florida and Kentucky-and subsequent qualitative interviews. HIV-negative adults clinically indicated for PrEP with CJ-involvement in the past year (n=660; 220 per site)-will be recruited for four quantitative interviews separated by 6 months, with 18 months of follow-up. Interviews will measure CJ involvement, substance use, sexual behaviours, PrEP acceptability and use, healthcare access and utilisation, support systems and psychological and emotional well-being. We will estimate probabilities of PrEP acceptability and use in a CJ-involved population using descriptive and multivariable analyses. After the follow-up, a subsample that never initiated PrEP, initiated but did not sustain PrEP or sustained PrEP will be asked to participate in a qualitative interview to contextualise their experiences and decisions around PrEP. An inductive approach will guide qualitative analyses.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

PrEP initiation and sustained use rates are unknown among CJ-involved adults. This research will identify individual, social and structural factors that predict PrEP initiation and use. Data generated from the study have the potential to guide research and the development and tailoring of PrEP interventions to CJ-involved populations and provide context to HIV-related outcomes for those with CJ experiences.

Evaluating the Feasibility of Implementing an HIV Prevention Intervention for Incarcerated African American Men: Lessons Learned From a Pilot Study

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of implementing an evidence-based, culturally adapted HIV intervention with substance-using African American men in a prison setting. We recruited 60, soon-to-be released African American male prisoners from a larger study (N = 211) to be randomly selected for participation in the group-based HIV intervention, Real Men Are Safe-Culturally Adapted (REMAS-CA). Participants who were not selected for participation in the intervention received standard Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV prevention counseling education, provided during participant assessment in the larger study. Nearly all of the participants who were selected to participate (87%) completed the REMAS-CA intervention. To examine feasibility, data were collected about any revisions made to the HIV intervention components for the prison setting, time needed to implement the program in full, details of implementing the intervention to ensure participation and maintain retention, and participant perception of the intervention. Revisions to the intervention included reducing the number of sessions from five to three, modifying the protocol language based on the setting, and removing six activities deemed inappropriate and/or unallowable by the prison officials. The cultural considerations and intervention, overall, were well received by the participants. However, several revisions made specific to the prison and its administration could affect the potential effectiveness of the intervention. Future research is needed to determine the effectiveness of REMAS-CA among this community.