Differences in housing, health, and well-being among HIV-positive women living in poverty

A decade of research on housing and health: a systematic literature review

This paper provides a systematic review of the evidence linking housing and health. This involved a review of 59 peer-reviewed journal papers, that included case studies on the health impacts of housing and were published in English, in the past decade (2010-2020). Our systematic review of the literature suggested most of the research on the health impacts of housing employed quantitative methodology, were conducted in the Global North and were published in Medical and Health Sciences journals. Research findings demonstrated four key areas through which housing impacts health: neighbourhood or context, physical building, housing market and housing policy. This paper provides valuable information to researchers for future research directions on the associations between housing and health and to decision-makers and planners for planning healthy cities.

Examining Barriers to Medication Adherence and Retention in Care among Women Living with HIV in the Face of Homelessness and Unstable Housing

Despite advances in biomedical treatments, women living with HIV (WLH) who experience homelessness and housing instability suffer suboptimal HIV outcomes, even when linked to treatment. The purpose of this study was to explore experiences of housing instability among WLH and to understand its role in their ability to adhere to antiretroviral medication and remain retained in care. Sixteen women who were linked to Ryan White Program HIV care in South Florida participated in in-depth interviews. The findings focus around four larger themes: difficulty storing medication, privacy- and stigma-related issues, inconsistent access to medication and health care disruptions, and competing and unmet physical and mental health needs. Findings underscore the importance of strategies that are responsive to the disruption of routines and are sensitive to privacy issues in shared dwelling spaces; the proactive inquiry of behavioral and environmental considerations when prescribing antiretroviral medication; and the identification and treatment of comorbid conditions. This study provides evidence for strategies to facilitate self-management and improve modifiable system realities to augment larger-level policy and funding shifts that are critically needed to end the epidemic among vulnerable populations living with HIV.

Gender-based inequalities in the effects of housing on health: A critical review

Gender and its power relations are produced and reproduced in the housing sphere, leading to inequalities in living conditions and, therefore, in gender inequalities in health outcomes. The aim of the study is to review the published literature on gender, housing and health, to critically evaluate the incorporation of the gender perspective, and to incorporate this perspective into the conceptual framework of housing and health. Using the critical review method, we conducted a literature review in MEDLINE, Scopus, WOS and Redalyc, without restriction of publication date, including studies published up to October 2020. We analyzed the gender perspective in health research using the Gender Perspective in Health Research Questionnaire and described the results according to main housing dimensions. Of the 20,988 articles identified, we selected 90 for full-text analysis, of which 18 were included in the feminist research category, 27 in gender-sensitive, 31 in sex difference and 14 did not include any gender perspective. Regarding the association between housing and health, most studies analyzed affordability (36%) and physical conditions (32%), and trends in health outcomes by gender varied according to each exposure analyzed, although overall the effects were worse for women and non-binary or trans people. To date, very few studies consider the gender perspective. It is urgent to address gender relations in housing and health studies, and to open an interdisciplinary and intersectoral agenda to address this complex relationship.

Impact of Canadian human immunodeficiency virus non-disclosure case law on experiences of violence from sexual partners among women living with human immunodeficiency virus in Canada: Implications for sexual rights

Objectives:

People living with human immunodeficiency virus in Canada can face criminal charges for human immunodeficiency virus non-disclosure before sex, unless a condom is used and their viral load is <1500 copies/mL. We measured the reported impact of human immunodeficiency virus non-disclosure case law on violence from sexual partners among women living with human immunodeficiency virus in Canada.

Methods:

We used cross-sectional survey data from wave 3 participant visits (2017–2018) within Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study; a longitudinal, community-based cohort of women living with human immunodeficiency virus in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Our primary outcome was derived from response to the statement: ‘[HIV non-disclosure case law has] increased my experiences of verbal/physical/sexual violence from sexual partners’. Participants responding ‘strongly agree/agree’ were deemed to have experienced increased violence due to the law. Participants responding ‘not applicable’ (i.e. those without sexual partners) were excluded. Multivariate logistic regression identified factors independently associated with increased violence from sexual partners due to human immunodeficiency virus non-disclosure case law.

Results:

We included 619/937 wave 3 participants. Median age was 46 (interquartile range: 39–53) and 86% had experienced verbal/physical/sexual violence in adulthood. Due to concerns about human immunodeficiency virus non-disclosure case law, 37% had chosen not to have sex with a new partner, and 20% had disclosed their human immunodeficiency virus status to sexual partners before a witness. A total of 21% self-reported that human immunodeficiency virus non-disclosure case law had increased their experiences of verbal/physical/sexual violence from sexual partners. In adjusted analyses, women reporting non-White ethnicity (Indigenous; African/Caribbean/Black; Other), unstable housing and high human immunodeficiency virus–related stigma had significantly higher odds of reporting increased violence from sexual partners due to human immunodeficiency virus non-disclosure case law.

Conclusion:

Findings bolster concerns that human immunodeficiency virus criminalization is a structural driver of intimate partner violence, compromising sexual rights of women living with human immunodeficiency virus. Human immunodeficiency virus non-disclosure case law intersects with other oppressions to regulate women’s sexual lives.

Factors Associated with the Separate and Concurrent Experiences of Food and Housing Insecurity Among Women Living with HIV in Canada

People living with HIV are disproportionately affected by food and housing insecurity. We assessed factors associated with experiencing food and/or housing insecurity among women living with HIV (WLHIV) in Canada. In our sample of WLHIV (N = 1403) 65% reported an income less than $20,000 per year. Most (78.69%) participants reported food and/or housing insecurity: 27.16% reported experiencing food insecurity alone, 14.26% reported housing insecurity alone, and 37.28% reported experiencing food and housing insecurity concurrently. In adjusted multivariable logistic regression analyses, experiencing concurrent food and housing insecurity was associated with: lower income, Black ethnicity versus White, province of residence, current injection drug use, lower resilience, HIV-related stigma, and racial discrimination. Findings underscore the urgent need for health professionals to assess for food and housing insecurity, to address the root causes of poverty, and for federal policy to allocate resources to ameliorate economic insecurity for WLHIV in Canada.

Black Mothers Living With HIV Picture the Social Determinants of Health

The purpose of our study was to explore the social determinants of health for Black mothers living with HIV in the southeastern region of the United States. In this exploratory study, we used qualitative methods of in-depth interviewing and photo elicitation at three time points to provide a comprehensive examination of the meaning that the constructs held for participants (n = 18). The social determinants of health, identified primarily as positive health determinants by the participants, included social support, religion, animal companions, and the physical environment. The social determinants of health identified as mixed determinants, having both positive and negative qualities, were transportation and housing. Each of these social determinants is presented with definitions and exemplars. Additionally, aspects of each determinant of health that may be meaningfully addressed through process and structural level interventions are explored.

Housing Stability and Medication Adherence among HIV-Positive Individuals in Antiretroviral Therapy: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in the United States

BACKGROUND

Previous research has produced inconsistent evidence of an association between housing stability and medication adherence among HIV-positive individuals in antiretroviral therapy.

OBJECTIVE

We conducted a meta-analysis of the housing-adherence relationship based on a comprehensive search of observational studies in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases (January 2000-January 2016). Ten qualifying studies were identified representing 10,556 individuals.

METHODS

A random-effects model was used to estimate the overall effect size and 95% confidence interval (CI). Robustness of the estimate was determined by sensitivity analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed by meta-regression analysis, subgroup analysis, and quality effects estimation. Publication bias was evaluated with a funnel plot and the Egger and Begg tests.

RESULTS

The summary effect for the association between housing stability and medication adherence was positive and significant (standardized mean difference = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.29). The association was slightly larger in the quality effects analysis (standardized mean difference = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.39). Sensitivity analysis disclosed that the association was robust at the P = 0.09 level. Results of the subgroup and meta-regression analyses were nonsignificant. Publication bias was not detected.

CONCLUSION

Antiretroviral medication adherence is an increasing function of housing stability, but the magnitude of the effect is small. The finding challenges the view that unstable housing is incompatible with adherence and questions the potential benefit of deferring antiretroviral therapy initiation until the patient's housing circumstances are improved.

Housing as a Social Determinant of Health: Exploring the Relationship between Rent Burden and Risk Behaviors for Single Room Occupancy Building Residents

A growing body of health determinants research recognizes that housing and health are intimately linked. This study explores the relationship between rent burden (the ratio of rent to income) and health risk behaviors among a sample of single room occupancy (SRO) building residents. Cross-sectional data were gathered from a sample of 162 residents living in privately owned, for-profit SROs in Chicago. Findings indicated that participants who had full rental subsidies and thus were designated in a no-rent-burden category were more likely to engage in risk behaviors including illicit drug use, having multiple sexual partners, and having sex without a condom, in comparison to participants with moderate or high-rent burdens. These findings suggest that interventions to increase housing stability and affordability and bolster reliable income sources (in addition to rental subsidies) may be key in reducing risk behaviors and improving health for vulnerably housed populations such as SRO residents.

A Multilevel Ecological Model of HIV Risk for People Who Are Homeless or Unstably Housed and Who Use Drugs in the Urban United States

Elevated HIV prevalence has been observed among urban U.S. individuals who use drugs and who lack stable housing. This article synthesizes extant research on this population and situates it in a multilevel, ecologically based model of HIV risk. Based on a multidisciplinary review of the literature, the model applies social-ecological theory on human development to identify factors shaping the HIV risk context for individuals who use drugs and who are unstably housed at global, societal, neighborhood, household, and individual levels of influence. At the global level, the model includes neoliberal ideologies contributing to the social inequalities that frame the HIV epidemic. U.S. housing and drug policy, including urban renewal, HOPE VI, and the War on Drugs, is the focus of the societal level. At the neighborhood level, mechanisms of the built environment and psychosocial mechanisms are explored for their salience to HIV risk. Research on the association between housing instability and HIV risk is reviewed at the household level. At the last level, relevant individual differences in biology, psychology, and cognition are discussed. Modeling risk at multiple levels of the environment underscores the need to expand the focus of research, treatment, and prevention interventions for HIV/AIDS and addictions beyond individuals and their risk behaviors to address facets of structural violence and incorporate the broader social, political, and economic contexts of risk and health.