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Beyrer C, Kamarulzaman A, Isbell M, Amon J, Baral S, Bassett MT, Cepeda J, Deacon H, Dean L, Fan L, Giacaman R, Gomes C, Gruskin S, Goyal R, Mon SHH, Jabbour S, Kazatchkine M, Kasoka K, Lyons C, Maleche A, Martin N, McKee M, Paiva V, Platt L, Puras D, Schooley R, Smoger G, Stackpool-Moore L, Vickerman P, Walker JG, Rubenstein L. Under threat: the International AIDS Society-Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights. Lancet 2024; 403:1374-1418. [PMID: 38522449 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(24)00302-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Chris Beyrer
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | | | | | - Joseph Amon
- Office of Global Health, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mary T Bassett
- François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Javier Cepeda
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Harriet Deacon
- Treatied Spaces Research Group and Centre of Excellence in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Modelling, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Lorraine Dean
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Rita Giacaman
- Institute of Community and Public Health, Birzeit University, Birzeit, West Bank, Palestine
| | - Carolyn Gomes
- UNAIDS HIV & Human Rights Reference Group, Kingston, Jamaica
| | - Sofia Gruskin
- Institute on Inequalities in Global Health, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ravi Goyal
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Carrie Lyons
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Allan Maleche
- Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Natasha Martin
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Martin McKee
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Vera Paiva
- Institute of Psychology, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lucy Platt
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Dainius Puras
- Clinic of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Robert Schooley
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Leonard Rubenstein
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Loeb T, Willis K, Velishavo F, Lee D, Rao A, Baral S, Rucinski K. Leveraging Routinely Collected Program Data to Inform Extrapolated Size Estimates for Key Populations in Namibia: Small Area Estimation Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2024; 10:e48963. [PMID: 38573760 PMCID: PMC11027056 DOI: 10.2196/48963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Estimating the size of key populations, including female sex workers (FSW) and men who have sex with men (MSM), can inform planning and resource allocation for HIV programs at local and national levels. In geographic areas where direct population size estimates (PSEs) for key populations have not been collected, small area estimation (SAE) can help fill in gaps using supplemental data sources known as auxiliary data. However, routinely collected program data have not historically been used as auxiliary data to generate subnational estimates for key populations, including in Namibia. OBJECTIVE To systematically generate regional size estimates for FSW and MSM in Namibia, we used a consensus-informed estimation approach with local stakeholders that included the integration of routinely collected HIV program data provided by key populations' HIV service providers. METHODS We used quarterly program data reported by key population implementing partners, including counts of the number of individuals accessing HIV services over time, to weight existing PSEs collected through bio-behavioral surveys using a Bayesian triangulation approach. SAEs were generated through simple imputation, stratified imputation, and multivariable Poisson regression models. We selected final estimates using an iterative qualitative ranking process with local key population implementing partners. RESULTS Extrapolated national estimates for FSW ranged from 4777 to 13,148 across Namibia, comprising 1.5% to 3.6% of female individuals aged between 15 and 49 years. For MSM, estimates ranged from 4611 to 10,171, comprising 0.7% to 1.5% of male individuals aged between 15 and 49 years. After the inclusion of program data as priors, the estimated proportion of FSW derived from simple imputation increased from 1.9% to 2.8%, and the proportion of MSM decreased from 1.5% to 0.75%. When stratified imputation was implemented using HIV prevalence to inform strata, the inclusion of program data increased the proportion of FSW from 2.6% to 4.0% in regions with high prevalence and decreased the proportion from 1.4% to 1.2% in regions with low prevalence. When population density was used to inform strata, the inclusion of program data also increased the proportion of FSW in high-density regions (from 1.1% to 3.4%) and decreased the proportion of MSM in all regions. CONCLUSIONS Using SAE approaches, we combined epidemiologic and program data to generate subnational size estimates for key populations in Namibia. Overall, estimates were highly sensitive to the inclusion of program data. Program data represent a supplemental source of information that can be used to align PSEs with real-world HIV programs, particularly in regions where population-based data collection methods are challenging to implement. Future work is needed to determine how best to include and validate program data in target settings and in key population size estimation studies, ultimately bridging research with practice to support a more comprehensive HIV response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talia Loeb
- Data for Implementation (Data.FI), Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Kalai Willis
- Data for Implementation (Data.FI), Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | | | - Daniel Lee
- United States Agency for International Development Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| | - Amrita Rao
- Data for Implementation (Data.FI), Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Stefan Baral
- Data for Implementation (Data.FI), Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Katherine Rucinski
- Data for Implementation (Data.FI), Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Yan X, Ni Y, Lu Y, Wang Q, Tang W, Tan RKJ, Tucker JD, Hall BJ, Baral S, Song H, Zhou Y, Wu D. Homoprejudiced Violence Experiences and High-Risk Sexual Behaviors among Chinese Men Who Have Sex with Men: Depression Severity and Recreational Drug Usage as Potential Mediators. Arch Sex Behav 2024; 53:1265-1276. [PMID: 38172350 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-023-02775-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Homoprejudiced violence is a type of aggression against an individual or a community based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation. It may be linked to risks of acquiring HIV/STI via psychosocial variables. This study explored the association between homoprejudiced violence experiences and high-risk sexual behaviors, and potential psychosocial mediators. Using cross-sectional survey data collected in China through Blued among men who have sex with men (MSM) in January 2021, this study conducted multiple mediation analyses. Standard instruments were used to collect data on depressive symptoms in the last two weeks (PHQ-9), recreational drug usage in the last three months, and ever experiencing homoprejudiced violence (12-item survey instrument). Dependent variables were having condomless anal sex and having three or more sexual partners in the last three months. Among 1828 MSM, nearly half (847, 46%) had experienced homoprejudiced violence. Twenty-three percent (427) reached a score that suggested moderate or severe depression and 35% (644) had used recreational drugs. In the last three months, 40% (731) had condomless anal sex and 34% (626) had three or more sexual partners. The indirect mediational coefficients through depression on condomless anal sex and multiple sexual partners were 0.04 (95% CI: [0.02, 0.07]) and 0.02 (95% CI: [0.001, 0.05]), respectively. The indirect mediational coefficient of homoprejudiced violence experience on multiple sexual partners through recreational drug use was 0.05 (95% CI: [0.03, 0.08]). These findings suggest that more comprehensive interventions are needed to address the syndemic of homoprejudiced violence, mental health issues, and HIV/STI-related risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xumeng Yan
- Department of Social Medicine and Health Education, School of Public Health of Nanjing Medical University, No. 101 Longmian Avenue Nanjing, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, China
- University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yuxin Ni
- University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Health Law Policy and Management, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ying Lu
- University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qianyun Wang
- University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Social Welfare, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Weiming Tang
- University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Rayner Kay Jin Tan
- University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joseph D Tucker
- University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- International Diagnostics Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Brian J Hall
- Center for Global Health Equity, New York University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Huan Song
- West China Biomedical Big Data Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Med-X Center for Informatics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yi Zhou
- Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, Zhuhai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhuhai, China
| | - Dan Wu
- Department of Social Medicine and Health Education, School of Public Health of Nanjing Medical University, No. 101 Longmian Avenue Nanjing, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, China.
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Lujintanon S, Hausler H, Comins C, Mcingana M, Shipp L, Phetlhu DR, Makama S, Guddera V, Mishra S, Baral S, Schwartz S. Estimating the mortality risk correcting for high loss to follow-up among female sex workers with HIV in Durban, South Africa, 2018-2021. Ann Epidemiol 2024; 92:8-16. [PMID: 38382770 PMCID: PMC10981924 DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2024.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study assesses risk factors of loss to follow-up (LTFU) and estimates mortality risk among female sex workers (FSW) with HIV in Durban, South Africa, in 2018-2021. METHODS We used data from the Siyaphambili trial, which evaluated strategies for improved viral suppression. FSW with HIV aged ≥ 18 years with viral load ≥ 50 copies/mL were followed up for 18 months. LTFU was defined as absence from study or intervention visits for 6 months. We traced LTFU participants by calling/in-person visit attempts to ascertain their vital status. We used Cox regression to determine risk factors of LTFU and inverse probability of tracing weights to correct mortality risk. RESULTS Of 777 participants, 10 (1.3%) had died and 578 (74.4%) were initially LTFU. Among those LTFU, 36.3% (210/578) were traced successfully, with 6 additional deaths ascertained. Recent physical and sexual violence, and non-viral suppression were associated with increased LTFU. The unweighted and weighted 18-month mortality risks were 2.4% (95% CI: 0.8%-3.9%) and 3.7% (95% CI: 1.8%-5.9%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS LTFU is common among FSW with HIV in South Africa with additional investigation of vital status demonstrating under-ascertained mortality. These data suggest the need for comprehensively addressing risks for mortality among FSW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sita Lujintanon
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States.
| | - Harry Hausler
- TB HIV Care, 7th Floor, 11 Adderley St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town 8001, South Africa; Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pretoria, 7th Floor, HW Snyman North building, Prinshof Campus, 31 Bophelo Rd, Gezina, Pretoria 0084, South Africa
| | - Carly Comins
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States
| | - Mfezi Mcingana
- TB HIV Care, Suit No. 2, Sutton Square, 306/310 Mathews Meyiwa Rd, Morningside, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Lillian Shipp
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States
| | - Deliwe Rene Phetlhu
- Department of Nursing, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Molotlegi St, Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, Gauteng 0208, South Africa
| | - Siyanda Makama
- TB HIV Care, Suit No. 2, Sutton Square, 306/310 Mathews Meyiwa Rd, Morningside, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Vijayanand Guddera
- TB HIV Care, Suit No. 2, Sutton Square, 306/310 Mathews Meyiwa Rd, Morningside, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Sharmistha Mishra
- St. Michael's Hospital, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, University of Toronto, 30 Bond St, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States
| | - Sheree Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States
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Appa A, Baral S, Stein B, Knight K, Gandhi M, Coffin P, Martin M. The IMPACT (Infection Management Plus Addiction Care Together) Pilot: A Case Series of Combined Contingency Management for Substance Use Disorders and Antibiotic Adherence in the Hospital Setting. J Addict Med 2024; 18:138-143. [PMID: 38109334 PMCID: PMC10939948 DOI: 10.1097/adm.0000000000001254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Psychostimulant-related mortality is rising alongside increasing substance use-related hospitalizations, which are commonly complicated by patient-directed (or "against medical advice") discharges. Contingency management (CM) is an underused evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders with proven efficacy to support medication adherence. Our objective was to describe feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a novel CM intervention incentivizing both drug use reduction and antibiotic adherence in the hospital setting. METHODS We conducted a pilot intervention of twice weekly CM for stimulant and/or opioid use disorder and antibiotic adherence conducted on inpatient wards and/or an embedded skilled nursing facility in an urban public hospital. Based on point-of-care urine drug test results and objective antibiotic adherence review, participants earned increasing opportunities to receive incentives. We measured feasibility via number of visits attempted and cost of gift cards dispensed. We evaluated effectiveness via antibiotic completion, discharge type, and participant perception of intervention effectiveness collected via structured survey. RESULTS Of 13 participants enrolled, most had opioid use disorder (fentanyl in 10/13) and stimulant use disorder (methamphetamine in 7/13). Almost all were receiving treatment for osteomyelitis and/or endocarditis (12/13). Feasibility challenges included competing demands of acute care with variable range of completed visits per participant (1-12 visits). Despite this, antibiotic completion was high (92%, 12/13 participants) with only two patient-directed discharges. Participants described CM as very effective in aiding infection treatment but had greater variability in beliefs regarding CM facilitation of reduced drug use. CONCLUSIONS Providing CM in the hospital setting may represent an effective approach to improving health outcomes by increasing antibiotic adherence and addressing substance use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha Appa
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
| | - Brianna Stein
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - Kelly Knight
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - Monica Gandhi
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - Phillip Coffin
- San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, USA
| | - Marlene Martin
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
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Grosso A, Bowring AL, Njindam IM, Decker MR, Lyons C, Rao A, Tamoufe U, Fako GH, Fouda G, Levitt D, Turpin G, Billong SC, Zoung-Kanyi Bissek AC, Njoya O, Baral S. Sexually Transmitted Infection Risks and Symptoms Heightened Among Female Sex Workers who Started Selling Sex Before the Age of 18 in Five Cities in Cameroon. AIDS Behav 2024; 28:898-906. [PMID: 37843686 PMCID: PMC10896857 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-023-04196-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Many adolescents under 18 years old who sell sex are at elevated risk for sexually transmitted infection (STI) acquisition, which may persist into adulthood. There has been limited study of the burden of the risks and vulnerabilities among women who started selling sex as adolescents across Sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, a Adult female sex workers (FSW) recruited through respondent-driven sampling in five cities in Cameroon from December 2015 to October 2016 completed a questionnaire and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis testing. Multivariable logistic regression analysis controlling for age was used to identify factors associated with reporting selling sex before age 18. Selling sex before age 18 was reported by 11.5% (256/2,220) of FSW. Initiation of selling sex as an adolescent was positively associated with experiencing dysuria (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]:1.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.08-2.10) or genital warts (aOR:1.78, 95% CI:1.08-2.94) and negatively associated with prior recent testing for HIV (aOR:0.71, 95% CI:0.53-0.96) or STIs (aOR:0.65, 95% CI:0.44-0.96). Consistent condom use with clients was negatively associated with early initiation of selling sex (aOR:0.58, 95% CI:0.42-0.80), while experience of recent sexual violence was positively associated with early initiation (aOR:1.74, 95% CI:1.15-2.63). There were no independent significant differences in HIV (24.5%) or syphilis (8.3%) prevalence. Given the limited use of HIV and STI testing services by women who sold sex as adolescents, the prevalence of forced sex, condomless sex, and STI symptoms were high. Programs serving FSW should more vigorously aim to serve adolescents and adults who began selling sex early.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Grosso
- Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 112 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
| | - Anna L Bowring
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N Wolfe , MD, Baltimore, 21205, USA
- Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | | | - Michele R Decker
- Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N Wolfe St Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, 21205, USA
| | - Carrie Lyons
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N Wolfe , MD, Baltimore, 21205, USA
| | - Amrita Rao
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N Wolfe , MD, Baltimore, 21205, USA
| | - Ubald Tamoufe
- Metabiota, Avenue Mvog-Fouda Ada, Av 1.085, Carrefour Intendance BP, Yaoundé, 15939, Cameroon
| | - Guy H Fako
- Care and Health Program, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Ghislaine Fouda
- CARE Cameroon, Villa La Rose (3è étage, Av. Churchill, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Daniel Levitt
- CARE USA, 115 Broadway, 5th floor, New York, NY, 10006, USA
- FHI 360, New York, United States
| | - Gnilane Turpin
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N Wolfe , MD, Baltimore, 21205, USA
| | - Serge C Billong
- Groupe Technique Central, CNLS, Rue Henri Dunant, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | - Oudou Njoya
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yaoundé University Hospital Center, Joseph Tchooungui Akoa, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N Wolfe , MD, Baltimore, 21205, USA
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7
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Wu S, Li Y, Baral S, Mishra S, Koh M, Golding H, Kwong JC, Wei X. Protection of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 boosters, and hybrid immunity against Omicron severe illness: A population-based cohort study of five million residents in Canada. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299304. [PMID: 38394091 PMCID: PMC10889649 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence on protection of different patterns of infection- and vaccine-acquired immunity against Omicron-associated severe illness is useful in planning booster vaccination strategies. We examined protection of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, a third or a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose, and hybrid immunity against Omicron-associated severe illness. METHODS AND FINDINGS This population-based cohort study followed five million individuals with at least one SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test before November 21, 2021 until an Omicron-associatedhospitalization or death. We used Cox regression models to estimate risks of Omicron-associated hospitalization and a composite severe outcome (hospitalized and death), among individuals with infection- and/or vaccination-acquired immunity. Individuals who were unvaccinated and had no history of a prior infection severed as the reference group. Both adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding protection (one minus adjusted HR), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were reported. Three doses provided 94% (95%CI 93-95) and 93% (95%CI 91-94) protection against Omicron-associated hospitalization at 2-3 and ≥3 months post-vaccination respectively, similar to the protection conferred by three doses and a prior infection (2-3 months: 99%, 95%CI 97-100; ≥3 months: 97%, 95%CI 92-99) and four doses (1 month: 87%, 95%CI 79-92; 1-2 months: 96%, 95%CI 92-98). In individuals ≥65 years old, protection of four doses increased to 95% (95%CI 91-98) at 1-2 months, significantly higher than that of three doses over the follow-up period. Similar results were observed with the composite severe outcome. CONCLUSION At least three antigenic exposures, achieved by vaccination or infection, confers significant protection against Omicron-associated hospitalization and death in all age groups. Our findings support a third dose for the overall population, regardless of prior infection status, and a fourth dose for the elderly to maintain high level of immunity and substantially reduce risk of severe illness at individual level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shishi Wu
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yanhong Li
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sharmistha Mishra
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine and Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Maria Koh
- Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Haley Golding
- Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jeffrey C. Kwong
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xiaolin Wei
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Knight J, Ma H, Sithole B, Khumalo L, Wang L, Schwartz S, Muzart L, Matse S, Mnisi Z, Kaul R, Escobar M, Baral S, Mishra S. Quantifying the impact of cascade inequalities: a modelling study on the prevention impacts of antiretroviral therapy scale-up in Eswatini. medRxiv 2024:2024.02.16.24302584. [PMID: 38405846 PMCID: PMC10889039 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.16.24302584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Background Inequalities in the antiretroviral therapy (ART) cascade across subpopulations remain an ongoing challenge in the global HIV response. Eswatini achieved the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets by 2020, with differentiated programs to minimize inequalities across subpopulations, including for female sex workers (FSW) and their clients. We sought to estimate additional HIV infections expected in Eswatini if cascade scale-up had not been equal, and under which epidemic conditions these inequalities could have the largest influence. Methods Drawing on population-level and FSW-specific surveys in Eswatini, we developed a compartmental model of heterosexual HIV transmission which included eight subpopulations and four sexual partnership types. We calibrated the model to stratified HIV prevalence, incidence, and ART cascade data. Taking observed cascade scale-up in Eswatini as the base-case - reaching 95-95-95 in the overall population by 2020 - we defined four counterfactual scenarios in which the population overall reached 80-80-90 by 2020, but where FSW, clients, both, or neither were disproportionately left behind, reaching only 60-40-80. We quantified relative additional cumulative HIV infections by 2030 in counterfactual vs base-case scenarios. We further estimated linear effects of viral suppression gap among FSW and clients on additional infections by 2030, plus effect modification by FSW/client population sizes, rates of turnover, and HIV prevalence ratios. Findings Compared with the base-case scenario, leaving behind neither FSW and nor their clients led to the fewest additional infections by 2030: median (95% credible interval) 13.3 (9.2, 18.7) % vs 26.7 (19.7, 33.8) % if both were left behind - a 104 (50, 167) % increase. The effect of lower cascade on additional infections was larger for clients vs FSW, and client population size, turnover, and prevalence ratios were the largest modifiers of both effects. Interpretation Inequalities in the ART cascade across subpopulations can undermine the anticipated prevention impacts of cascade scale-up. As Eswatini has shown, addressing inequalities in the ART cascade, particularly those that intersect with high transmission risk, could maximize incidence reductions from cascade scale-up. Funding Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities; Canadian Institutes of Health Research; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse Knight
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto
| | - Huiting Ma
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto
| | | | | | - Linwei Wang
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto
| | | | | | | | | | - Rupert Kaul
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
| | | | - Stefan Baral
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
| | - Sharmistha Mishra
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
- Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario
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9
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Bardosh K, Krug A, Jamrozik E, Lemmens T, Keshavjee S, Prasad V, Makary MA, Baral S, Høeg TB. COVID-19 vaccine boosters for young adults: a risk benefit assessment and ethical analysis of mandate policies at universities. J Med Ethics 2024; 50:126-138. [PMID: 36600579 PMCID: PMC10850707 DOI: 10.1136/jme-2022-108449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
In 2022, students at North American universities with third-dose COVID-19 vaccine mandates risk disenrolment if unvaccinated. To assess the appropriateness of booster mandates in this age group, we combine empirical risk-benefit assessment and ethical analysis. To prevent one COVID-19 hospitalisation over a 6-month period, we estimate that 31 207-42 836 young adults aged 18-29 years must receive a third mRNA vaccine. Booster mandates in young adults are expected to cause a net harm: per COVID-19 hospitalisation prevented, we anticipate at least 18.5 serious adverse events from mRNA vaccines, including 1.5-4.6 booster-associated myopericarditis cases in males (typically requiring hospitalisation). We also anticipate 1430-4626 cases of grade ≥3 reactogenicity interfering with daily activities (although typically not requiring hospitalisation). University booster mandates are unethical because they: (1) are not based on an updated (Omicron era) stratified risk-benefit assessment for this age group; (2) may result in a net harm to healthy young adults; (3) are not proportionate: expected harms are not outweighed by public health benefits given modest and transient effectiveness of vaccines against transmission; (4) violate the reciprocity principle because serious vaccine-related harms are not reliably compensated due to gaps in vaccine injury schemes; and (5) may result in wider social harms. We consider counterarguments including efforts to increase safety on campus but find these are fraught with limitations and little scientific support. Finally, we discuss the policy relevance of our analysis for primary series COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Bardosh
- School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Allison Krug
- Epidemiology, Artemis Biomedical Communications, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
| | - Euzebiusz Jamrozik
- University of Oxford Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, Oxford, UK
| | - Trudo Lemmens
- Faculty of Law and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Salmaan Keshavjee
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Vinay Prasad
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Marty A Makary
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Tracy Beth Høeg
- Clinical Research, Acumen, LLC, Burlingame, California, USA
- Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Grass Valley, California, USA
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10
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Høeg TB, Krug A, Baral S, Jamrozik E, Keshavjee S, Lemmens T, Prasad V, Makary MA, Bardosh K. University-age vaccine mandates: reply to Lam and Nichols. J Med Ethics 2024; 50:143-145. [PMID: 37225414 DOI: 10.1136/jme-2023-109163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Beth Høeg
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Syddanmark, Denmark
| | - Allison Krug
- Artemis Biomedical Communications LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Euzebiusz Jamrozik
- Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Salmaan Keshavjee
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Trudo Lemmens
- Faculty of Law and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vinay Prasad
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Martin A Makary
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kevin Bardosh
- School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Division of Infection Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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11
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Ranasinghe C, Baral S, Stuart R, Oswald C, Straus S, Tehrani A, Gilbride K, Agyemang P, Orkin A. Wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 in shelters: A creative strategy for a complex setting. Can Commun Dis Rep 2024; 50:58-62. [PMID: 38655242 PMCID: PMC11037884 DOI: 10.14745/ccdr.v50i12a07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
People experiencing homelessness experience disproportionate rates of morbidity and mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared to the general population and shelters for people experiencing homelessness are a major contributing factor to these negative outcomes. As a result of their unique structure, population and physical space, these settings pose several challenges to the prevention of COVID-19 infection that are not adequately addressed by conventional non-pharmaceutical public health interventions. Wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 is a viable strategy for health protection in shelters due to its ability to meet these unique challenges. Its passive nature does not depend on individual health-seeking behaviours, and it can provide useful epidemiological information early on in an outbreak setting. In this commentary, the authors examine a recent application of wastewater surveillance of COVID-19 in a men's shelter in Toronto. Further applications of wastewater surveillance for other infectious diseases of concern in shelters are proposed, and the need for the development of ethical frameworks governing the use of this technology is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chalani Ranasinghe
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
| | - Stefan Baral
- Inner City Health Associates, Toronto, ON
- Knowledge Translation Program, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON
| | | | - Claire Oswald
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON
| | - Sharon Straus
- Knowledge Translation Program, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
| | - Amir Tehrani
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON
| | - Kimberley Gilbride
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON
| | | | - Aaron Orkin
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
- Inner City Health Associates, Toronto, ON
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON
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12
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Silhol R, Anderson RL, Stevens O, Stannah J, Booton RD, Baral S, Dimitrov D, Mitchell KM, Donnell D, Bershteyn A, Brown T, Kelly SL, Kim HY, Johnson LF, Maheu-Giroux M, Martin-Hughes R, Mishra S, Peerapatanapokin W, Stone J, Stover J, Teng Y, Vickerman P, Garcia SA, Korenromp E, Imai-Eaton JW, Boily MC. Measuring HIV Acquisitions Among Partners of Key Populations: Estimates From HIV Transmission Dynamic Models. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2024; 95:e59-e69. [PMID: 38180739 PMCID: PMC10769162 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000003334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Key populations (KPs), including female sex workers (FSWs), gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID), and transgender women (TGW) experience disproportionate risks of HIV acquisition. The UNAIDS Global AIDS 2022 Update reported that one-quarter of all new HIV infections occurred among their non-KP sexual partners. However, this fraction relied on heuristics regarding the ratio of new infections that KPs transmitted to their non-KP partners to the new infections acquired among KPs (herein referred to as "infection ratios"). We recalculated these ratios using dynamic transmission models. SETTING One hundred seventy-eight settings (106 countries). METHODS Infection ratios for FSW, MSM, PWID, TGW, and clients of FSW were estimated from 12 models for 2020. RESULTS Median model estimates of infection ratios were 0.7 (interquartile range: 0.5-1.0; n = 172 estimates) and 1.2 (0.8-1.8; n = 127) for acquisitions from FSW clients and transmissions from FSW to all their non-KP partners, respectively, which were comparable with the previous UNAIDS assumptions (0.2-1.5 across regions). Model estimates for female partners of MSM were 0.5 (0.2-0.8; n = 20) and 0.3 (0.2-0.4; n = 10) for partners of PWID across settings in Eastern and Southern Africa, lower than the corresponding UNAIDS assumptions (0.9 and 0.8, respectively). The few available model estimates for TGW were higher [5.1 (1.2-7.0; n = 8)] than the UNAIDS assumptions (0.1-0.3). Model estimates for non-FSW partners of FSW clients in Western and Central Africa were high (1.7; 1.0-2.3; n = 29). CONCLUSIONS Ratios of new infections among non-KP partners relative to KP were high, confirming the importance of better addressing prevention and treatment needs among KP as central to reducing overall HIV incidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Silhol
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- HIV Prevention Trials Network Modelling Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca L. Anderson
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver Stevens
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - James Stannah
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Ross D. Booton
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Dobromir Dimitrov
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
| | - Kate M. Mitchell
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- HIV Prevention Trials Network Modelling Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Nursing and Community Health, Glasgow Caledonian University London, London, United Kindom
| | - Deborah Donnell
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
| | - Anna Bershteyn
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Tim Brown
- Research Program, East-West Center, Honolulu, HI
| | | | - Hae-Young Kim
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Leigh F. Johnson
- Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research, School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mathieu Maheu-Giroux
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Sharmistha Mishra
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Jack Stone
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | - Yu Teng
- Avenir Health, Glastonbury, CT
| | - Peter Vickerman
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Jeffrey W. Imai-Eaton
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Marie-Claude Boily
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- HIV Prevention Trials Network Modelling Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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13
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Stevens O, Anderson R, Stover J, Teng Y, Stannah J, Silhol R, Jones H, Booton RD, Martin-Hughes R, Johnson L, Maheu-Giroux M, Mishra S, Stone J, Bershteyn A, Kim HY, Sabin K, Mitchell KM, Dimitrov D, Baral S, Donnell D, Korenromp E, Rice B, Hargreaves JR, Vickerman P, Boily MC, Imai-Eaton JW. Comparison of Empirically Derived and Model-Based Estimates of Key Population HIV Incidence and the Distribution of New Infections by Population Group in Sub-Saharan Africa. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2024; 95:e46-e58. [PMID: 38180738 PMCID: PMC10769165 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000003321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The distribution of new HIV infections among key populations, including female sex workers (FSWs), gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), and people who inject drugs (PWID) are essential information to guide an HIV response, but data are limited in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We analyzed empirically derived and mathematical model-based estimates of HIV incidence among key populations and compared with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates. METHODS We estimated HIV incidence among FSW and MSM in SSA by combining meta-analyses of empirical key population HIV incidence relative to the total population incidence with key population size estimates (KPSE) and HIV prevalence. Dynamic HIV transmission model estimates of HIV incidence and percentage of new infections among key populations were extracted from 94 country applications of 9 mathematical models. We compared these with UNAIDS-reported distribution of new infections, implied key population HIV incidence and incidence-to-prevalence ratios. RESULTS Across SSA, empirical FSW HIV incidence was 8.6-fold (95% confidence interval: 5.7 to 12.9) higher than total population female 15-39 year incidence, and MSM HIV incidence was 41.8-fold (95% confidence interval: 21.9 to 79.6) male 15-29 year incidence. Combined with KPSE, these implied 12% of new HIV infections in 2021 were among FSW and MSM (5% and 7% respectively). In sensitivity analysis varying KPSE proportions within 95% uncertainty range, the proportion of new infections among FSW and MSM was between 9% and 19%. Insufficient data were available to estimate PWID incidence rate ratios. Across 94 models, median proportion of new infections among FSW, MSM, and PWID was 6.4% (interquartile range 3.2%-11.7%), both much lower than the 25% reported by UNAIDS. CONCLUSION Empirically derived and model-based estimates of HIV incidence confirm dramatically higher HIV risk among key populations in SSA. Estimated proportions of new infections among key populations in 2021 were sensitive to population size assumptions and were substantially lower than estimates reported by UNAIDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Stevens
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Anderson
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - John Stover
- Center for Modeling, Planning and Policy Analysis, Avenir Health, Glastonbury, CT
| | - Yu Teng
- Center for Modeling, Planning and Policy Analysis, Avenir Health, Glastonbury, CT
| | - James Stannah
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Romain Silhol
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- HIV Prevention Trials Network Modelling Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Harriet Jones
- Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ross D. Booton
- United Kingdom Heath Security Agency, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rowan Martin-Hughes
- Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Leigh Johnson
- Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mathieu Maheu-Giroux
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Sharmistha Mishra
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jack Stone
- Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Bershteyn
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Hae-Young Kim
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Keith Sabin
- Data for Impact, The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kate M. Mitchell
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Nursing and Community Health, Glasgow Caledonian University London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dobromir Dimitrov
- HIV Prevention Trials Network Modelling Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Deborah Donnell
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
| | - Eline Korenromp
- Data for Impact, The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Brian Rice
- School of Health and Related Research (SchARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom; and
| | - James R. Hargreaves
- Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Vickerman
- Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Marie-Claude Boily
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- HIV Prevention Trials Network Modelling Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jeffrey W. Imai-Eaton
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
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14
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Algarin AB, Werb D, Shumskaya N, Kurmanalieva A, Blyum A, Cepeda J, Patterson TL, Baral S, Smith LR. Financial Vulnerability and Its Association with HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors Among People Who Inject Drugs in Kyrgyzstan. AIDS Behav 2024; 28:310-319. [PMID: 37523049 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-023-04129-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
The Family Resource Scale (FRS) is a three-factor financial vulnerability (FV) measure. FV may impact HIV transmission risks. Cross-sectional data from 279 people who inject drugs (PWID) in Kyrgyzstan surveyed April-October 2021 was used to validate the FRS and estimate associations between FV on past 6-month injection and sexual HIV risk outcomes. The three-factor FRS reflected housing, essential needs, and fiscal independence, and had good internal reliability and structural validity. Greater cumulative, housing, and essential needs FRS scores were associated with increased relative risk on public injection (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.03 [1.01, 1.04]; aRR [95% CI]: 1.06 [1.02, 1.09]; aRR [95% CI]: 1.06 [1.03, 1.08], respectively, all p < 0.001) and preparing injections with unsafe water sources (aRR [95% CI]: 1.04 [1.02, 1.07]; aRR [95% CI]: 1.09 [1.04, 1.15]; aRR [95% CI]: 1.08 [1.03, 1.14], respectively, all p < 0.001). Results suggest that PWID housing- and essential needs-related FV may exacerbate injection HIV transmission risks. Reducing PWIDs' FV may enhance the HIV response in Kyrgyzstan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel B Algarin
- Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Dan Werb
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0507, USA
- Centre On Drug Policy Evaluation, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Natalya Shumskaya
- AIDS Foundation - East West in the Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | | | - Anna Blyum
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0507, USA
| | - Javier Cepeda
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Thomas L Patterson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Laramie R Smith
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0507, USA.
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15
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Mabuto T, Woznica DM, Ndini P, Moyo D, Abraham M, Hanrahan C, Charalambous S, Zack B, Baral S, Owczarzak J, Hoffmann CJ. Transitional community adherence support for people leaving incarceration in South Africa: a pragmatic, open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet HIV 2024; 11:e11-e19. [PMID: 38071994 PMCID: PMC10894448 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3018(23)00235-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People released from correctional facilities face multifactorial barriers to continuing HIV treatment. We hypothesised that barriers faced in the first 6 months of community re-entry would be decreased by a multilevel group-based and peer-led intervention, the Transitional Community Adherence Club (TCAC). METHODS We did a pragmatic, open-label, individually randomised controlled trial in five correctional facilities in Gauteng, South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older and receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in correctional facilities were enrolled before release and randomly assigned (1:2) to either passive referral (usual care) or TCACs. TCACs followed a 12-session curriculum over 6 months and were facilitated by trained peer and social workers. Participants were followed up by telephone and in person to assess the primary outcome: post-release enrolment in HIV treatment services at 6 months from the date of release. We did an intention-to-treat analysis to determine the effectiveness of TCACs compared with usual care. The trial was registered with the South African National Clinical Trials Register (DOH-27-0419-605) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03340428). This study is completed and is listed as such on ClinicalTrials.gov. FINDINGS From March 1, to Dec 13, 2019, we screened 222 individuals and enrolled 176 participants who were randomly assigned 1:2 to the usual care group (n=59) or TCACs (n=117). 175 participants were included in the final analysis. In the usual care group, 21 (36%) of 59 participants had enrolled in HIV treatment services at 6 months, compared with 71 (61%) of 116 in the TCAC group (risk ratio 1·7, 95% CI 1·2-2·5; p=0·0010). No adverse events were reported. INTERPRETATION We found strong evidence that a differentiated service delivery model with curriculum and peer support designed specifically to address the needs of people with HIV returning from incarceration improved the primary outcome of enrolment in HIV treatment services. Our approach is a reasonable model to build further HIV treatment continuity interventions for individuals in the criminal justice system in South Africa and elsewhere. FUNDING National Institute of Mental Health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tonderai Mabuto
- Department of Implementation Research, The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | | | - Pretty Ndini
- Department of Implementation Research, The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Derrick Moyo
- Department of Implementation Research, The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Munazza Abraham
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Colleen Hanrahan
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Salome Charalambous
- Department of Implementation Research, The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa; The University of the Witwatersrand School of Public Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jill Owczarzak
- Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christopher J Hoffmann
- The University of the Witwatersrand School of Public Health, Johannesburg, South Africa; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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16
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Rao A, Mhlophe H, Pretorius A, Mcingana M, Mcloughlin J, Shipp L, Baral S, Hausler H, Schwartz S, Lesko C. Effect of implementation strategies on pre-exposure prophylaxis persistence among female sex workers in South Africa: an interrupted time series study. Lancet HIV 2023; 10:e807-e815. [PMID: 38040479 PMCID: PMC10771038 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3018(23)00262-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A disproportionate number of new HIV infections in South Africa are among female sex workers; pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention is freely available to female sex workers in the country, but unique barriers challenge PrEP persistence. TB HIV Care, a large South African non-profit organisation that provides daily oral PrEP (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine), has implemented multiple strategies to improve PrEP persistence. We aimed to evaluate the effect of different implementation strategies on PrEP persistence in a large-scale real-world setting. METHODS In this interrupted time series study, we estimated level changes in 1-month oral PrEP persistence associated with roll-out of various implementation strategies among female sex workers across nine districts in South Africa. We used routinely collected data from TB HIV Care programme files from June 7, 2016, to April 30, 2021. Poisson regression of 1-month persistence was used to assess the effect of these strategies. In secondary analyses, we tested the association between each of the strategies and 4-month persistence. FINDINGS The median 1-month PrEP persistence for female sex workers was 33% (IQR 27-40). SMS support and refill reminders were associated with an 11% relative increase in 1-month persistence (risk ratio [RR] 1·11, 95% CI 1·02-1·26) and clinical mentoring for PrEP providers was associated with a 127% relative increase (RR 2·27, 95% CI 1·94-2·66) among female sex workers. The loyalty rewards programme was negatively associated with 1-month persistence (RR 0·71, 95% CI 0·67-0·83). Although clinical mentoring improved 4-month persistence, SMS support text messages had no significant effect. INTERPRETATION Identification and subsequent use of clinical mentoring for PrEP providers and SMS support and refill reminders might improve the usefulness of PrEP overall to prevent new HIV infections among female sex workers. PrEP persistence remains an important issue, and strategies to build on our findings are needed. FUNDING National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Rao
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | - Lillian Shipp
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Sheree Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Catherine Lesko
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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17
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Baral S, Millett G, Syarif O, Turpin N, Schwartz S. There is no path to ending AIDS by 2030 without improving human rights. J Int AIDS Soc 2023; 26:e26197. [PMID: 38063252 PMCID: PMC10704397 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.26197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Baral
- Center for Public Health and Human RightsDepartment of EpidemiologyJohns Hopkins School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Gregorio Millett
- Public Policy OfficeThe Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR)WashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Omar Syarif
- Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+)AmsterdamNetherlands
| | | | - Sheree Schwartz
- Center for Public Health and Human RightsDepartment of EpidemiologyJohns Hopkins School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
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18
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Doshi RK, Hull S, Broun A, Boyani S, Moch D, Visconti AJ, Castel AD, Baral S, Colasanti J, Rodriguez AE, Jones J, Coffey S, Monroe AK. Lessons learned from U.S. rapid antiretroviral therapy initiation programs. Int J STD AIDS 2023; 34:945-955. [PMID: 37461333 PMCID: PMC11000141 DOI: 10.1177/09564624231185622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rapid antiretroviral therapy initiation (R-ART) for treatment of HIV has been recommended since 2017, however it has not been adopted widely across the US. PURPOSE The study purpose was to understand facilitators and barriers to R-ART implementation in the U.S. RESEARCH DESIGN This was a qualitative design involving semi-structured interviews. STUDY SAMPLE The study sample was comprised of the medical leadership of nine US HIV clinics that were early implementers of R-ART. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS In-depth, semi-structured interviews were performed. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used to guide thematic analysis. RESULTS We identified three main content areas: strong scientific rationale for R-ART, buy-in from multiple key stakeholders, and the condensed timeline of R-ART. The CFIR construct of Evidence Strength and Quality was cited as an important factor in R-ART implementation. Buy-in from key stakeholders and immediate access to medications ensured the success of R-ART implementation. Patient acceptance of the condensed timeline for ART initiation was facilitated when presented in a patient-centered manner, including empathetic communication and addressing other patient needs concurrently. The condensed timeline of R-ART presented logistical challenges and opportunities for the development of intense patient-provider relationships. CONCLUSIONS Results from the analysis showed that R-ART implementation should address the following: 1) logistical planning to implement HIV treatment with a condensed timeline 2) patients' mixed reactions to a new HIV diagnosis and 3) the high cost of HIV medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rupali K Doshi
- Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- The HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Administration (HAHSTA), District of Columbia Department of Health, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Shawnika Hull
- Rutgers University School of Communication and Information, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Aaron Broun
- Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Saanjh Boyani
- Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Darryl Moch
- Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Adam J Visconti
- The HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Administration (HAHSTA), District of Columbia Department of Health, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Amanda D Castel
- Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Joyce Jones
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Susa Coffey
- University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Anne K Monroe
- Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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19
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Zhang H, Sanchez T, Zlotorzynska M, Baral S, Hecht J. Experiences of Stigma and HIV Status Associated with Awareness and Usage of Safer Sex Functions in Dating Apps Among MSM, 2019 American Men's Internet Survey (AMIS) Study. AIDS Behav 2023; 27:3603-3611. [PMID: 37421546 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-023-04074-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Dating apps represent opportunities to implement sexual health interventions among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly those who may avoid traditional health services due to intersecting stigmas. We used multivariable models to explore whether stigma experience was associated with awareness and usage of safer sex functions in dating apps among 7700 MSM who completed a 2019 US nationwide online survey. Perceived community intolerance of gay and bisexual men was associated with reduced awareness of sexual health strategy profile options (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 0.95; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.93-0.98) and sexual health information and resources (aPR 0.97; 95% CI 0.94-0.99). Stigma from family and friends was associated with increased usage of app-based sexual health reminders (aPR 1.14; 95% CI 1.02-1.28) and sexual health information and resources (aPR 1.16; 95% CI 1.04-1.31). Stigma experience of MSM should be considered in optimizing app-based sexual health interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haisu Zhang
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Travis Sanchez
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
| | - Maria Zlotorzynska
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21215, USA
| | - Jen Hecht
- Building Healthy Online Communities, Springboard Health Lab, Richmond, USA
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20
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Gorin EM, Lyons CE, Jarrett BA, Djalo MA, Barreto K, Drame FM, Baral S. Mobility and HIV vulnerabilities among female sex workers in Guinea-Bissau: findings from an integrated bio-behavioral survey. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1856. [PMID: 37749506 PMCID: PMC10518914 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16744-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mobility is an important risk determinant for HIV given the potential for intermittent access to HIV services. Mobility may be particularly relevant among female sex workers, (FSW) who have been shown to be at high risk for HIV in settings around the world. Data regarding the role mobility plays in exacerbating HIV risks among FSW across Sub-Saharan Africa remains limited, and data on FSW in Guinea-Bissau is sparse. METHODS FSW in four regions of Guinea-Bissau were recruited with a respondent-driven sampling (RDS) method and participated in an integrated bio-behavioral survey between September 27, 2017 and January 26, 2018. Associations between reported general mobility, mobility to or residence in Bissau, and social and HIV vulnerabilities among FSW in Guinea-Bissau were assessed using multivariable logistic regression models. Population proportions were weighted for RDS sampling, while logistic regression models were not. RESULTS Survey respondents included 323 individuals in Bissau, 45 in Bissorã, 140 in Bafatá, and 59 in Gabu. Statistical analyses demonstrated that mobility to more than one destination was significantly associated with recent sex without a condom (ie, sex without a condom within the last three sex acts) with both clients (aOR: 2.47 (95% CI: 1.08, 5.64)) and non-paying partners (aOR: 5.39 (95% CI: 2.61, 11.15)) compared to non-mobility. However, mobility to one or more locations was also associated with higher odds of receiving HIV prevention information, and mobility to more than one location was associated with participating in programming with HIV-related organizations. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that while some prevention services including HIV prevention information reach mobile FSW in Guinea-Bissau more than their non-mobile counterparts, the higher rates of condomless sex among mobile FSW suggest that HIV prevention needs may remain unmet for mobile FSW in Guinea-Bissau. Additionally, the results suggest a nuanced relationship between mobility, place of residence, and HIV and social vulnerabilities and prevention indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma M Gorin
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- Present address: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
| | - Carrie E Lyons
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Brooke A Jarrett
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | | | | | | | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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21
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Elmi N, Marquez NG, Rucinski K, Lyons C, Turpin G, Ba I, Turpin N, Gouane E, Obodou E, Diouf D, Baral S. Meeting the reproductive health needs of female sex workers in Côte d'Ivoire: protecting the human right to dignified health. Reprod Health 2023; 20:133. [PMID: 37670305 PMCID: PMC10481554 DOI: 10.1186/s12978-023-01659-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The sexual and reproductive health needs of female sex workers (FSW) are often understudied and underserved in the context of HIV-related research in countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and West Africa. We assessed the lived experiences of FSW across Côte d'Ivoire to characterize unmet reproductive health needs and opportunities to address them. From February-August, 2020, ENDA Santé, Côte d'Ivoire conducted 75 in-depth interviews and 15 focus group discussions with FSW and community informants in five cities in Côte d'Ivoire. Themes that emerged included the inconsistent use of contraception services, a history of unintended pregnancies, and experiences of stigma at public healthcare facilities. Opportunities to increase the impact of both SRH and HIV services included strengthening existing HIV and family planning service integration for FSW. Taken together, the results highlight the importance of addressing the unmet reproductive health needs of FSW to both optimize the HIV response and increase the delivery of human-rights affirming sexual and reproductive health services for sex workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nika Elmi
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Nuria Gallego Marquez
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Katherine Rucinski
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Carrie Lyons
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Gnilane Turpin
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | | | | | - Emile Gouane
- ENDA Santé Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
| | | | | | - Stefan Baral
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
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22
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Khezri M, Tavakoli F, Schwartz S, Karamouzian M, Sharifi H, McKnight CA, Jarlais DD, Baral S, Shokoohi M. Global epidemiology of abortion among female sex workers: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. Ann Epidemiol 2023; 85:13-37. [PMID: 37356778 DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2023.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Despite the evidence of a high rate of unintended pregnancy, there remains limited information about the prevalence and experiences of abortion among female sex workers (FSWs). In response, we aimed to summarize the available evidence on abortion among FSWs. METHODS We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to January 29, 2023 . We pooled data from the included studies using random-effects meta-analyses. We also grouped countries for the legality of elective abortion stratified by the United Nations database on abortion laws and policies. RESULTS We identified 60 eligible studies from 2031 potentially eligible records. The pooled lifetime prevalence of at least one and multiple induced abortions was 37.7% (95% confidence interval, 31.8-43.7) and 21.7% (14.9-29.2), respectively. Among FSWs recruited in countries where elective abortion is illegal, at least one induced abortion prevalence was 35.1% (28.1-42.4), and multiple induced abortion prevalence was 23.1% (12.4-35.9). In countries where elective abortion is legal, at least one induced abortion prevalence was 44.6% (34.8-54.6), and multiple induced abortion prevalence was 19.9% (11.9-29.3). Among FSWs experiencing abortion, self-managed abortion prevalence was estimated at 32.8% (23.6-42.7) overall, 42.8% (37.2-48.5) for countries where elective abortion is illegal, and 15.6% (3.9-32.7) for countries that legally allow elective abortion. CONCLUSIONS Induced abortion is prevalent among FSWs, highlighting the need for interventions to increase access to effective contraception and safe abortion care. While induced abortion prevalence did not significantly differ across the legal grounds for abortion, self-managed abortion prevalence was higher in countries where elective abortion was illegal, highlighting the urgent need for accessible abortion services for FSWs in criminalized settings. Moving forward necessitates implementing and evaluating culturally acceptable models of safe abortion and post-abortion care for FSWs to increase access to the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrdad Khezri
- Department of Epidemiology, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York; HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Tavakoli
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Sheree Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Mohammad Karamouzian
- Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, Saint Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hamid Sharifi
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Courtney A McKnight
- Department of Epidemiology, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York; Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research, New York, NY
| | - Don Des Jarlais
- Department of Epidemiology, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York; Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research, New York, NY
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Mostafa Shokoohi
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada.
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23
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Anato JLF, Ma H, Hamilton MA, Xia Y, Harper S, Buckeridge D, Brisson M, Hillmer MP, Malikov K, Kerem A, Beall R, Wagner CE, Racine É, Baral S, Dubé È, Mishra S, Maheu-Giroux M. Impact of a vaccine passport on first-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine coverage by age and area-level social determinants of health in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario: an interrupted time series analysis. CMAJ Open 2023; 11:E995-E1005. [PMID: 37875315 PMCID: PMC10609911 DOI: 10.9778/cmajo.20220242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Canada, all provinces implemented vaccine passports in 2021 to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission in non-essential indoor spaces and increase vaccine uptake (policies active September 2021-March 2022 in Quebec and Ontario). We sought to evaluate the impact of vaccine passport policies on first-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccination coverage by age, and area-level income and proportion of racialized residents. METHODS We performed interrupted time series analyses using data from Quebec's and Ontario's vaccine registries linked to census information (population of 20.5 million people aged ≥ 12 yr; unit of analysis: dissemination area). We fit negative binomial regressions to first-dose vaccinations, using natural splines adjusting for baseline vaccination coverage (start: July 2021; end: October 2021 for Quebec, November 2021 for Ontario). We obtained counterfactual vaccination rates and coverage, and estimated the absolute and relative impacts of vaccine passports. RESULTS In both provinces, first-dose vaccination coverage before the announcement of vaccine passports was 82% (age ≥ 12 yr). The announcement resulted in estimated increases in coverage of 0.9 percentage points (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4-1.2) in Quebec and 0.7 percentage points (95% CI 0.5-0.8) in Ontario. This corresponds to 23% (95% CI 10%-36%) and 19% (95% CI 15%-22%) more vaccinations over 11 weeks. The impact was larger among people aged 12-39 years. Despite lower coverage in lower-income and more-racialized areas, there was little variability in the absolute impact by area-level income or proportion racialized in either province. INTERPRETATION In the context of high vaccine coverage across 2 provinces, the announcement of vaccine passports had a small impact on first-dose coverage, with little impact on reducing economic and racial inequities in vaccine coverage. Findings suggest that other policies are needed to improve vaccination coverage among lower-income and racialized neighbourhoods and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Luis Flores Anato
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Huiting Ma
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Mackenzie A Hamilton
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Yiqing Xia
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Sam Harper
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - David Buckeridge
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Marc Brisson
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Michael P Hillmer
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Kamil Malikov
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Aidin Kerem
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Reed Beall
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Caroline E Wagner
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Étienne Racine
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Ève Dubé
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Sharmistha Mishra
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Mathieu Maheu-Giroux
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Flores Anato, Xia, Harper, Buckeridge, Racine, Maheu-Giroux), School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, Que.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions (Ma, Hamilton, Mishra), St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec and Département de médecine sociale et préventive (Brisson), Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Ontario Ministry of Health (Hillmer, Malikov, Kerem); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Hillmer), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Department of Community Health Sciences (Beall), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; Department of Bioengineering (Wagner), McGill University, Montréal, Que.; Direction des risques biologiques (Racine, Dubé), Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Ville de Québec, Que.; Department of Epidemiology (Baral), Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.; Département d'anthropologie (Dubé), Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec, Que.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (Mishra), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.
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24
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Richandi GEK, Vila A, Sarty M, Svoboda T, Baral S, Wang R, Vasa P, Ravestein A, Kaur T, del Cid Nunez P, Orkin A. Rapid and Collaborative Population Health Assessment for People Experiencing Homelessness in Toronto: The CARE Program. Ann Fam Med 2023; 21:470. [PMID: 37748916 PMCID: PMC10519761 DOI: 10.1370/afm.3016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Aaron Orkin
- CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Aaron Orkin, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue,
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Antonova L, Somayaji C, Cameron J, Sirski M, Sundaram ME, McDonald JT, Mishra S, Kwong JC, Katz A, Baral S, Caulley L, Calzavara A, Corsten M, Johnson-Obaseki S. Comparison of socio-economic determinants of COVID-19 testing and positivity in Canada: A multi-provincial analysis. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289292. [PMID: 37611032 PMCID: PMC10446177 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been more pronounced for socially disadvantaged populations. We sought to determine how access to SARS-CoV-2 testing and the likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19 were associated with demographic factors, socioeconomic status (SES) and social determinants of health (SDH) in three Canadian provinces. METHODS An observational population-based cross-sectional study was conducted for the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba and New Brunswick between March 1, 2020 and April 27, 2021, using provincial health administrative data. After excluding residents of long-term care homes, those without current provincial health insurance and those who were tested for COVID-19 out of province, records from provincial healthcare administrative databases were reviewed for 16,900,661 healthcare users. Data was modelled separately for each province in accordance to a prespecified protocol and follow-up consultations among provincial statisticians and collaborators. We employed univariate and multivariate regression models to examine determinants of testing and test results. RESULTS After adjustment for other variables, female sex and urban residency were positively associated with testing, while female sex was negatively associated with test positivity. In New Brunswick and Ontario, individuals living in higher income areas were more likely to be tested, whereas in Manitoba higher income was negatively associated with both testing and positivity. High ethnocultural composition was associated with lower testing rates. Both high ethnocultural composition and high situational vulnerability increased the odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. DISCUSSION We observed that multiple demographic, income and SDH factors were associated with SARS-CoV-2 testing and test positivity. Barriers to healthcare access identified in this study specifically relate to COVID-19 testing but may reflect broader inequities for certain at-risk groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilia Antonova
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Chandy Somayaji
- New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data, and Training, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Jillian Cameron
- New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data, and Training, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Monica Sirski
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Maria E. Sundaram
- Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, WI, United States of America
- ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - James Ted McDonald
- Department of Political Science, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Sharmistha Mishra
- ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- MAP Center for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jeffrey C. Kwong
- ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alan Katz
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Lisa Caulley
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Martin Corsten
- Division of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Stephanie Johnson-Obaseki
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Gagnon KW, Baral S, Long D, Guzman AL, Johnson B, Burkholder G, Willig J, Mugavero M, Baldwin M, Fogger S, Creger T, Cropsey K, Eaton E. Delivery of the HIV Service and Telemedicine Through Effective Patient-Reported Outcomes (+STEP) Intervention to Increase Screening and Treatment of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders for People Living With HIV in Alabama: Protocol for an Effectiveness-Implementation Study. JMIR Res Protoc 2023; 12:e40470. [PMID: 37581919 PMCID: PMC10466153 DOI: 10.2196/40470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The syndemic of mental health (MH) and substance use disorders (SUDs) is common among persons living with HIV and jeopardizes HIV treatment adherence, engagement in care, and viral load suppression. Electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs), completed through tablet or computer, and telemedicine are evidence- and technology-based interventions that have been used to successfully increase screening and treatment, respectively, a model that holds promise for persons living with HIV. To date, there is limited guidance on implementing ePROs and telemedicine into HIV clinical practice even though it is well known that these evidence-based tools improve diagnosis and access to care. OBJECTIVE To address this, we aim to conduct a multicomponent intervention for persons living with HIV, including the delivery of HIV services and telemedicine through effective ePROs (+STEP), to increase screening and treatment of MH and SUD in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP)-funded clinics in Alabama. METHODS Through this intervention, we will conduct a readiness, acceptability, and accessibility assessment and implement +STEP to improve the diagnosis and treatment of MH and SUD at RWHAP clinics in Alabama. To describe implementation strategies that address barriers to the uptake of +STEP in RWHAP clinics, we will conduct qualitative interviews in years 1 (early implementation), 2 (scale up), and 4 (maintenance) with patients and key staff to evaluate barriers, facilitators, and implementation strategies. Our Results will enable us to modify strategies to enhance +STEP penetration over time and inform the implementation blueprint, which we will develop for both RWHAP clinics in Alabama and future sites. We will assess the impact of implementing +STEP on diagnoses, referrals, and health care use related to MH, SUD, and HIV by comparing clinical outcomes from patients receiving these interventions (ePROs and telemedicine) with historical controls. RESULTS The first study site began implementation in April 2022. A total of 2 additional sites have initiated ePROs. Final results are expected in 2026. The results of this study will provide a foundation for future research expanding access to ePROs for improved diagnosis linked to telemedicine access to accelerate patients along the continuum of care from MH and SUD diagnosis to treatment. CONCLUSIONS Achieving the end of the HIV epidemic in the United States necessitates programs that accelerate movement across the MH and SUD care continuum from diagnosis to treatment for persons living with HIV. Scaling these services represents a path toward improved treatment outcomes with both individual health and population-level prevention benefits of sustained HIV viral suppression in the era of undetectable=untransmittable (U=U). This study will address this evidence gap through the evaluation of the implementation of +STEP to establish the necessary systems and processes to screen, identify, and better treat substance use and MH for people living with HIV. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/40470.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly W Gagnon
- Division of Infectious Disease, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Center for Addiction and Pain Prevention and Intervention, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Dustin Long
- Centers for AIDS Research, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Alfredo L Guzman
- Division of Infectious Disease, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Bernadette Johnson
- Division of Infectious Disease, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Greer Burkholder
- Division of Infectious Disease, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Centers for AIDS Research, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - James Willig
- Division of Infectious Disease, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Centers for AIDS Research, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Michael Mugavero
- Division of Infectious Disease, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Centers for AIDS Research, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Margaret Baldwin
- Division of Infectious Disease, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Susanne Fogger
- Nursing Family, Community and Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Thomas Creger
- Division of Infectious Disease, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Karen Cropsey
- Center for Addiction and Pain Prevention and Intervention, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Ellen Eaton
- Division of Infectious Disease, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Center for Addiction and Pain Prevention and Intervention, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Centers for AIDS Research, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
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Abara WE, Sullivan P, Carpino T, Sanchez T, Atkins K, Delaney K, Edwards OW, Marissa H, Baral S, Ogale Y, Galloway E, Lansky A. Characteristics of Mpox Vaccine Recipients Among a Sample of Men Who Have Sex With Men With Presumed Exposure to Mpox. Sex Transm Dis 2023; 50:458-461. [PMID: 36940183 PMCID: PMC10330397 DOI: 10.1097/olq.0000000000001800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Mpox vaccination is recommended for persons exposed to or at risk for mpox. Approximately 25% of an online sample of men who have sex with men (MSM) with presumed mpox exposure were vaccinated (≥1 dose). Vaccination was higher among younger MSM, MSM concerned about mpox, or MSM reporting sexual risk behaviors. Incorporating mpox vaccination into routine sexual health care and increasing 2-dose vaccination uptake is essential to preventing mpox acquisition, improving MSM sexual health, and averting future mpox outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winston E. Abara
- Mpox Response Team, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta GA
| | | | - Tom Carpino
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Travis Sanchez
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta GA
| | - Kait Atkins
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Kevin Delaney
- Mpox Response Team, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta GA
| | | | - Hannah Marissa
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta GA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Yasmin Ogale
- Mpox Response Team, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta GA
| | - Eboni Galloway
- Mpox Response Team, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta GA
| | - Amy Lansky
- Mpox Response Team, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta GA
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Grosso A, Fielding-Miller R, Matse S, Sithole B, Baral S. The relationship between underage initiation of selling sex and depression among female sex workers in Eswatini. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1048703. [PMID: 37435406 PMCID: PMC10331471 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1048703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Minors who sell sex are likely to have complex mental health needs that may persist into adulthood. This topic is understudied in sub-Saharan Africa. This study hypothesized that adult female sex workers in Eswatini who started selling sex as minors have a higher prevalence of depression than those who started as adults. We also examined correlates of depression and underage initiation of selling sex, including stigma and condom-related behaviors. Methods From October-December 2014, women aged 18 or older who sold sex in the past 12 months in Eswatini were recruited through venue-based sampling. Participants completed a survey including the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and a question about the age at which they first sold sex for money. T-tests, χ2 tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess associations. Results Overall, 43.1% of participants (332/770) had probable depression, and 16.6% (128/770) started selling sex as minors under the age of 18. Over half (55.5%, 71/128) of those who started selling sex as minors had depression. This was significantly higher than the 40.7% (261/642) prevalence of depression among participants who started selling sex as adults (p = 0.002). After adjusting for confounders, female sex workers who started selling sex as minors had higher odds of depression than those who started as adults (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.70, 95% confidence interval 1.11-2.60). Conclusion Results highlight the need for trauma-informed and adolescent-friendly mental health services in settings free of stigma toward female sex workers in Eswatini.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Grosso
- Center for Population Behavioral Health, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
- Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Rebecca Fielding-Miller
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | | | - Bhekie Sithole
- Health Communication Capacity Collaborative, Mbabane, Eswatini
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Key Populations Program, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Baral S, McCartney G. Health inequalities: responding to the challenge. Public Health 2023; 219:165-166. [PMID: 37248159 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- S Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - G McCartney
- School of Social and Political Sciences, University, of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
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Bhardwaj A, Comins CA, Guddera V, Mcingana M, Young K, Phetlhu R, Mulumba N, Mishra S, Hausler H, Baral S, Schwartz S. Correction to: Prevalence of depression, syndemic factors and their impact on viral suppression among female sex workers living with HIV in eThekwini, South Africa. BMC Womens Health 2023; 23:275. [PMID: 37208677 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-023-02433-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anvita Bhardwaj
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
| | - Carly A Comins
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | | | | | | | - Rene Phetlhu
- TB HIV Care, Cape Town, South Africa
- University of Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Sharmistha Mishra
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, USA
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, USA
- Institute of Medical Science and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, USA
| | | | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Sheree Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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Bhardwaj A, Comins CA, Guddera V, Mcingana M, Young K, Phetlhu R, Mulumba N, Mishra S, Hausler H, Baral S, Schwartz S. Prevalence of depression, syndemic factors and their impact on viral suppression among female sex workers living with HIV in eThekwini, South Africa. BMC Womens Health 2023; 23:232. [PMID: 37147708 PMCID: PMC10161481 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-023-02392-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Over half of female sex workers (FSW) in South Africa are living with HIV and clinical depression has been frequently documented among FSW. Data characterizing structural determinants of depression and the role of syndemic theory, synergistically interacting disease states, on viral suppression among FSW in South Africa are limited. METHODS Between July 2018-March 2020, non-pregnant, cisgender women (≥ 18 years), reporting sex work as their primary income source, and diagnosed with HIV for ≥ 6 months were enrolled into the Siyaphambili trial in eThekwini, South Africa. Using baseline data, robust Poisson regression models were used to assess correlates of depression and associations between depression and syndemic factors on viral suppression. RESULTS Of 1,384 participants, 459 (33%) screened positive for depression, defined as a score of ≥ 10 on the PHQ-9. Physical and sexual violence, drug use, alcohol use, anticipated stigma and internalized stigma were univariately associated with depression (all p's < 0.05) and included the multivariate model. In the multivariate regression, prevalence of depression was higher among participants experiencing sexual violence (PR = 1.47 95% CI:1.24,1.73), physical violence 5 times or more in < 6 months (PR = 1.38 95% CI:1.07, 1.80), using illicit drugs in the last month (PR = 1.23 95%:CI 1.04, 1.48), and reporting higher levels of internalized stigma (PR = 1.11, 95% CI:1.04,1.18). Depression in the absence of the Substance Abuse, Violence and AIDS SAVA syndemic factors was associated with increased prevalence of unsuppressed viral load (aPR 1.24; 95% CI:1.08,1.43), and the SAVA substance use and violence syndemic was associated with an increase in unsuppressed viral load among non-depressed FSW (aPR 1.13; 95% CI:1.01, 1.26). Compared to those experiencing neither factors, those jointly experiencing depression and the SAVA syndemics were at increased risk for unsuppressed viral load (aPR 1.15; 95% CI:1.02,1.28). CONCLUSION Substance use, violence, and stigma were all associated with depression. Depression and syndemic factors (substance use + violence) were related to unsuppressed viral load; we did not observe higher unsuppressed viral load amongst those experiencing both depression and syndemic factors. Our findings point to the need to understand the unmet mental health needs of FSW living with HIV. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical Trial Number: NCT03500172.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anvita Bhardwaj
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
| | - Carly A Comins
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | | | | | | | - Rene Phetlhu
- TB HIV Care, Café Town, South Africa
- University of Western Cape, Café Town, South Africa
| | | | - Sharmistha Mishra
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, USA
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, USA
- Institute of Medical Science and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, USA
| | | | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Sheree Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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Rodriguez-Hart C, Bradley C, German D, Baral S, Ononaku U, Dimlong OT, Crowell TA, Charurat M, Nowak RG. "Building that strong energy": An exploration of stigma coping strategies among sexual and gender minorities in Nigeria. Stigma Health 2023; 8:223-231. [PMID: 37377985 PMCID: PMC10292765 DOI: 10.1037/sah0000319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Sexual and gender minority stigma (SGM stigma) affecting Nigerian sexual and gender minorities (SGM) is associated with suboptimal HIV outcomes, and one mechanism found to explain the relationship is suicidal ideation. A better understanding of coping strategies may help mitigate the harmful impacts of SGM stigma. Interviews of 25 SGM from Abuja, Nigeria participating in the [Blinded for Review] study were thematically analyzed in regards to how they coped with SGM stigma. Four coping themes emerged: avoidant behaviors, self-monitoring so as to not attract stigma, seeking support and safe spaces to be themselves, and empowerment and self-acceptance through a process of cognitive change. They utilized multiple coping strategies, often believing that stigma could be avoided through the right actions and a masculine appearance. Multi-level and person-centered interventions that increase safety and support, facilitate resiliency, and improve mental health and engagement in HIV programming could mitigate the effects of SGM stigma and coping responses of isolation, blame, and mental health stressors among Nigerian SGM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Rodriguez-Hart
- Institute of Human Virology University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Cory Bradley
- Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Danielle German
- Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Uchenna Ononaku
- Institute of Human Virology University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Olivia Tapkat Dimlong
- Institute of Human Virology University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Trevor A. Crowell
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD
| | - Man Charurat
- Institute of Human Virology University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Rebecca G. Nowak
- Institute of Human Virology University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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Rao A, Lesko C, Mhlophe H, Rucinski K, Mcingana M, Pretorius A, Mcloughlin J, Baral S, Beyrer C, Hausler H, Schwartz S. Longitudinal patterns of initiation, persistence, and cycling on preexposure prophylaxis among female sex workers and adolescent girls and young women in South Africa. AIDS 2023; 37:977-986. [PMID: 36723509 PMCID: PMC10079574 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000003500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Female sex workers (FSW) and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) face a disproportionately high risk of HIV in South Africa. Oral preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can avert new infections, but its effectiveness is linked to consistent use. Early discontinuation of PrEP in this population is high, but less is known about longitudinal patterns of PrEP use, including patterns of re-initiation and cycling. DESIGN Longitudinal descriptive analysis of routine program data. METHODS Between 2016 and 2021, 40 681 FSW and AGYW initiated PrEP at TB HIV Care, the largest PrEP provider to this population in South Africa and were included. Using survival analyses and group-based trajectory modeling, we described patterns of initiation, discontinuation, re-initiation, and cycling. RESULTS Total initiations increased over the life of the program for both FSW and AGYW. About 40% of FSW [0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.40-0.42]] and AGYW (0.38, 95% CI [0.37-0.38]) remained on PrEP at one month. FSW were more likely to restart PrEP, however <10% restarted PrEP within a year of initiation. Three latent trajectory groups of PrEP use were identified for FSW (low use, early cycling, and ongoing cycling) and two for AGYW (low use and ongoing cycling). Persistence was negatively associated with initiation among AGYW, but there was no clear relationship among FSW. Those initiating later in the program and older women had a reduced risk of discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS Persistence on PrEP was low, but cycling on and off PrEP was common, with early missed visits and inconsistent, but ongoing use. A push to increase PrEP initiations needs to factor in readiness and persistence support, to achieve public health impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Rao
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Catherine Lesko
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Katherine Rucinski
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Chris Beyrer
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Sheree Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Wang L, Calzavara A, Baral S, Smylie J, Chan AK, Sander B, Austin PC, Kwong JC, Mishra S. Differential Patterns by Area-Level Social Determinants of Health in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-Related Mortality and Non-COVID-19 Mortality: A Population-Based Study of 11.8 Million People in Ontario, Canada. Clin Infect Dis 2023; 76:1110-1120. [PMID: 36303410 PMCID: PMC9620355 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social determinants of health (SDOH) have been associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. We examined patterns in COVID-19-related mortality by SDOH and compared these patterns to those for non-COVID-19 mortality. METHODS Residents of Ontario, Canada, aged ≥20 years were followed from 1 March 2020 to 2 March 2021. COVID-19-related death was defined as death within 30 days following or 7 days prior to a positive COVID-19 test. Area-level SDOH from the 2016 census included median household income; proportion with diploma or higher educational attainment; proportion essential workers, racially minoritized groups, recent immigrants, apartment buildings, and high-density housing; and average household size. We examined associations between SDOH and COVID-19-related mortality, and non-COVID-19 mortality using cause-specific hazard models. RESULTS Of 11 810 255 individuals, we observed 3880 COVID-19-related deaths and 88 107 non-COVID-19 deaths. After accounting for demographics, baseline health, and other area-level SDOH, the following were associated with increased hazards of COVID-19-related death (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: lower income (1.30 [1.04-1.62]), lower educational attainment (1.27 [1.07-1.52]), higher proportions essential workers (1.28 [1.05-1.57]), racially minoritized groups (1.42 [1.08-1.87]), apartment buildings (1.25 [1.07-1.46]), and large vs medium household size (1.30 [1.12-1.50]). Areas with higher proportion racially minoritized groups were associated with a lower hazard of non-COVID-19 mortality (0.88 [0.84-0.92]). CONCLUSIONS Area-level SDOH are associated with COVID-19-related mortality after accounting for demographic and clinical factors. COVID-19 has reversed patterns of lower non-COVID-19 mortality among racially minoritized groups. Pandemic responses should include strategies to address disproportionate risks and inequitable coverage of preventive interventions associated with SDOH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linwei Wang
- MAP-Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Janet Smylie
- MAP-Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Well Living House, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adrienne K Chan
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Beate Sander
- ICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter C Austin
- ICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jeffrey C Kwong
- ICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sharmistha Mishra
- Correspondence: S. Mishra, MAP-Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, University of Toronto, 209 Victoria St, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5B 1T8 ()
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Stone J, Looker KJ, Silhol R, Turner KME, Hayes R, Coetzee J, Baral S, Schwartz S, Mayaud P, Gottlieb S, Boily MC, Vickerman P. The population impact of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) vaccination on the incidence of HSV-2, HIV and genital ulcer disease in South Africa: a mathematical modelling study. EBioMedicine 2023; 90:104530. [PMID: 36933410 PMCID: PMC10034427 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence suggests HSV-2 infection increases HIV acquisition risk and HIV/HSV-2 coinfection increases transmission risk of both infections. We analysed the potential impact of HSV-2 vaccination in South Africa, a high HIV/HSV-2 prevalence setting. METHODS We adapted a dynamic HIV transmission model for South Africa to incorporate HSV-2, including synergistic effects with HIV, to evaluate the impact of: (i) cohort vaccination of 9-year-olds with a prophylactic vaccine that reduces HSV-2 susceptibility; (ii) vaccination of symptomatically HSV-2-infected individuals with a therapeutic vaccine that reduces HSV shedding. FINDINGS An 80% efficacious prophylactic vaccine offering lifetime protection with 80% uptake could reduce HSV-2 and HIV incidence by 84.1% (95% Credibility Interval: 81.2-86.0) and 65.4% (56.5-71.6) after 40 years, respectively. This reduces to 57.4% (53.6-60.7) and 42.1% (34.1-48.1) if efficacy is 50%, 56.1% (53.4-58.3) and 41.5% (34.2-46.9) if uptake is 40%, and 29.4% (26.0-31.9) and 24.4% (19.0-28.7) if protection lasts 10 years. An 80% efficacious therapeutic vaccine offering lifetime protection with 40% coverage among symptomatic individuals could reduce HSV-2 and HIV incidence by 29.6% (21.8-40.9) and 26.4% (18.5-23.2) after 40 years, respectively. This reduces to 18.8% (13.7-26.4) and 16.9% (11.7-25.3) if efficacy is 50%, 9.7% (7.0-14.0) and 8.6% (5.8-13.4) if coverage is 20%, and 5.4% (3.8-8.0) and 5.5% (3.7-8.6) if protection lasts 2 years. INTERPRETATION Prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines offer promising approaches for reducing HSV-2 burden and could have important impact on HIV in South Africa and other high prevalence settings. FUNDING WHO, NIAID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Stone
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
| | - Katharine Jane Looker
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Romain Silhol
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Richard Hayes
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jenny Coetzee
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sheree Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Philippe Mayaud
- Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Sami Gottlieb
- Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marie-Claude Boily
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Peter Vickerman
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Behavioural Science and Evaluation at University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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Eshun-Wilson I, Ford N, Mody A, Beres L, Schwartz S, Baral S, Geng EH. Strengthening implementation guidelines for HIV service delivery: Considerations for future evidence generation and synthesis. PLoS Med 2023; 20:e1004168. [PMID: 36877738 PMCID: PMC10027212 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ingrid Eshun-Wilson and colleagues summarize gaps in primary HIV implementation research methods and reporting, and propose areas for future methodological development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Eshun-Wilson
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nathan Ford
- Department of HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infectionss, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Aaloke Mody
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Laura Beres
- Department of International Health, John Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sheree Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, John Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, John Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Elvin H Geng
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
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Richard L, Nisenbaum R, Brown M, Liu M, Pedersen C, Jenkinson JIR, Mishra S, Baral S, Colwill K, Gingras AC, McGeer A, Hwang SW. Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among People Experiencing Homelessness in Toronto, Canada. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e232774. [PMID: 36912833 PMCID: PMC10011938 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.2774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE People experiencing homelessness are at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Incident infection rates have yet to be established in these communities and are needed to inform infection prevention guidance and related interventions. OBJECTIVE To quantify the SARS-CoV-2 incident infection rate among people experiencing homelessness in Toronto, Canada, in 2021 and 2022 and to assess factors associated with incident infection. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This prospective cohort study was conducted among individuals aged 16 years and older who were randomly selected between June and September 2021 from 61 homeless shelters, temporary distancing hotels, and encampments in Toronto, Canada. EXPOSURES Self-reported housing characteristics, such as number sharing living space. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Prevalence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection in summer 2021, defined as self-reported or polymerase chain reaction (PCR)- or serology-confirmed evidence of infection at or before the baseline interview, and SARS-CoV-2 incident infection, defined as self-reported or PCR- or serology-confirmed infection among participants without history of infection at baseline. Factors associated with infection were assessed using modified Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations. RESULTS The 736 participants (415 of whom did not have SARS-CoV-2 infection at baseline and were included in the primary analysis) had a mean (SD) age of 46.1 (14.6) years; 486 (66.0%) self-identified as male. Of these, 224 (30.4% [95% CI, 27.4%-34.0%]) had a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection by summer 2021. Of the remaining 415 participants with follow-up, 124 experienced infection within 6 months, representing an incident infection rate of 29.9% (95% CI, 25.7%-34.4%), or 5.8% (95% CI, 4.8%-6.8%) per person-month. Report after onset of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was associated with incident infection, with an adjusted rate ratio (aRR) of 6.28 (95% CI, 3.94-9.99). Other factors associated with incident infection included recent immigration to Canada (aRR, 2.74 [95% CI, 1.64-4.58]) and alcohol consumption over the past interval (aRR, 1.67 [95% CI, 1.12-2.48]). Self-reported housing characteristics were not significantly associated with incident infection. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this longitudinal study of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto, SARS-CoV-2 incident infection rates were high in 2021 and 2022, particularly once the Omicron variant became dominant in the region. Increased focus on homelessness prevention is needed to more effectively and equitably protect these communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Richard
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rosane Nisenbaum
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Brown
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Liu
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Cheryl Pedersen
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jesse I. R. Jenkinson
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sharmistha Mishra
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Epidemiology and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Karen Colwill
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anne-Claude Gingras
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Allison McGeer
- Department of Microbiology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephen W. Hwang
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of General Internal Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Lyons CE, Twahirwa Rwema JO, Makofane K, Diouf D, Mfochive Njindam I, Ba I, Kouame A, Tamoufe U, Cham B, Aliu Djaló M, Obodou EP, Karita E, Simplice A, Nowak RG, Crowell TA, Matse S, Kouanda S, Enama JP, Kavanagh M, Millett GA, Beyrer C, Murray S, Baral S. Associations between punitive policies and legal barriers to consensual same-sex sexual acts and HIV among gay men and other men who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa: a multicountry, respondent-driven sampling survey. Lancet HIV 2023; 10:e186-e194. [PMID: 36623537 PMCID: PMC10288909 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3018(22)00336-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few assessments of associations between structural-level factors and HIV among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) have been conducted, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Our objective was to examine HIV testing history, HIV status, and stigmas among MSM living in ten countries with heterogeneous legal environments. METHODS This study used pooled data from ten country-specific, cross-sectional studies done in 25 sites in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Eswatini, Rwanda, and Togo. MSM were recruited by respondent-driven sampling and were eligible if they met country-specific requirements for age, area of residence, and self reported being assigned male sex at birth and having anal sex with a man in the past 12 months. Policy related to same-sex sexual behaviour for each country was categorised as not criminalised or criminalised. Countries were also categorised on the basis of recent reports of prosecutions related to same-sex sexual acts. Legal barriers were defined as those that legally prevented registration or operation of sexual orientation related civil society organisations (CSOs). Individual data on HIV testing history, HIV status, and stigma were collected via interviewer-administered sociobehavioural questionnaires and HIV testing. Multilevel logistic regression with random intercepts was used to assess the association between policies, recent prosecutions, legal barriers to CSOs, and HIV-related factors with adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% CIs. FINDINGS Between Aug 3, 2011, and May 27, 2020, we recruited 8047 MSM with a median age of 23 years (IQR 21-27). 4886 (60·7%) lived in countries that criminalise same-sex sexual acts. HIV prevalence among MSM was higher in criminalised settings than non-criminalised settings (aOR 5·15, 95% CI 1·12-23·57); higher in settings with recent prosecutions than in settings without prosecutions (12·06, 7·19-20·25); and higher in settings with barriers to CSOs than without barriers to CSOs (9·83, 2·00-48·30). HIV testing or status awareness was not associated with punitive policies or practices. Stigma was associated with HIV status but did not consistently vary across legal environments. Disparities in HIV prevalence between MSM and other adult men were highest in punitive settings. INTERPRETATION Structural risks including discriminatory country-level policies, prosecutions, and legal barriers might contribute to higher HIV prevalence among MSM. Taken together, these data highlight the importance of decriminalisation and decreasing enforcement, alongside stigma reduction, as central to effective control for HIV. FUNDING National Institutes of Health. TRANSLATION For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie E Lyons
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | | | - Keletso Makofane
- FXB Health and Human Rights, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Abo Kouame
- Ministère de la Santé et de l'Hygiène Publique, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Ubald Tamoufe
- Johns Hopkins Cameroon Program/Metabiota, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Rebecca G Nowak
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Trevor A Crowell
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; US Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA; Henry M Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sindy Matse
- Eswatini Ministry of Health, Mbabane, Eswatini
| | - Seni Kouanda
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Institut Africain de Santé Publique, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Matthew Kavanagh
- Department of International Health and Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Chris Beyrer
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sarah Murray
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Stone J, Bothma R, Gomez GB, Eakle R, Mukandavire C, Subedar H, Fraser H, Boily M, Schwartz S, Coetzee J, Otwombe K, Milovanovic M, Baral S, Johnson LF, Venter WDF, Rees H, Vickerman P. Impact and cost-effectiveness of the national scale-up of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among female sex workers in South Africa: a modelling analysis. J Int AIDS Soc 2023; 26:e26063. [PMID: 36807874 PMCID: PMC9939943 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.26063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In 2016, South Africa (SA) initiated a national programme to scale-up pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among female sex workers (FSWs), with ∼20,000 PrEP initiations among FSWs (∼14% of FSW) by 2020. We evaluated the impact and cost-effectiveness of this programme, including future scale-up scenarios and the potential detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS A compartmental HIV transmission model for SA was adapted to include PrEP. Using estimates on self-reported PrEP adherence from a national study of FSW (67.7%) and the Treatment and Prevention for FSWs (TAPS) PrEP demonstration study in SA (80.8%), we down-adjusted TAPS estimates for the proportion of FSWs with detectable drug levels (adjusted range: 38.0-70.4%). The model stratified FSW by low (undetectable drug; 0% efficacy) and high adherence (detectable drug; 79.9%; 95% CI: 67.2-87.6% efficacy). FSWs can transition between adherence levels, with lower loss-to-follow-up among highly adherent FSWs (aHR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.40-0.85; TAPS data). The model was calibrated to monthly data on the national scale-up of PrEP among FSWs over 2016-2020, including reductions in PrEP initiations during 2020. The model projected the impact of the current programme (2016-2020) and the future impact (2021-2040) at current coverage or if initiation and/or retention are doubled. Using published cost data, we assessed the cost-effectiveness (healthcare provider perspective; 3% discount rate; time horizon 2016-2040) of the current PrEP provision. RESULTS Calibrated to national data, model projections suggest that 2.1% of HIV-negative FSWs were currently on PrEP in 2020, with PrEP preventing 0.45% (95% credibility interval, 0.35-0.57%) of HIV infections among FSWs over 2016-2020 or 605 (444-840) infections overall. Reductions in PrEP initiations in 2020 possibly reduced infections averted by 18.57% (13.99-23.29). PrEP is cost-saving, with $1.42 (1.03-1.99) of ART costs saved per dollar spent on PrEP. Going forward, existing coverage of PrEP will avert 5,635 (3,572-9,036) infections by 2040. However, if PrEP initiation and retention doubles, then PrEP coverage increases to 9.9% (8.7-11.6%) and impact increases 4.3 times with 24,114 (15,308-38,107) infections averted by 2040. CONCLUSIONS Our findings advocate for the expansion of PrEP to FSWs throughout SA to maximize its impact. This should include strategies to optimize retention and should target women in contact with FSW services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Stone
- Population Health SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Rutendo Bothma
- Wits RHIUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Gabriela B. Gomez
- Department of Global Health and DevelopmentLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Robyn Eakle
- Wits RHIUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
- Department of Global Health and DevelopmentLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
- Office of HIV AIDSU.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)WashingtonDCUSA
| | - Christinah Mukandavire
- Population Health SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
- Department of Infectious Disease EpidemiologyImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Hannah Fraser
- Population Health SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Marie‐Claude Boily
- Department of Infectious Disease EpidemiologyImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - Sheree Schwartz
- Department of EpidemiologyJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Jenny Coetzee
- Perinatal HIV Research UnitFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
- South African Medical Research CouncilCape TownSouth Africa
- African Potential Management ConsultancyKyalamiSouth Africa
| | - Kennedy Otwombe
- Perinatal HIV Research UnitFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
- School of Public HealthFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Minja Milovanovic
- Perinatal HIV Research UnitFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
- African Potential Management ConsultancyKyalamiSouth Africa
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of EpidemiologyJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Leigh F. Johnson
- Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and ResearchUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | | | - Helen Rees
- Wits RHIUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
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Laga I, Niu X, Rucinski K, Baral S, Rao A, Chen D, Viswasam N, Phaswana-Mafuya NR, Diouf D, Sabin K, Zhao J, Eaton JW, Bao L. Mapping the number of female sex workers in countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2200633120. [PMID: 36595685 PMCID: PMC9926247 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2200633120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Female sex workers (FSW) are affected by individual, network, and structural risks, making them vulnerable to poor health and well-being. HIV prevention strategies and local community-based programs can rely on estimates of the number of FSW to plan and implement differentiated HIV prevention and treatment services. However, there are limited systematic assessments of the number of FSW in countries across sub-Saharan Africa to facilitate the identification of prevention and treatment gaps. Here we provide estimated population sizes of FSW and the corresponding uncertainties for almost all sub-national areas in sub-Saharan Africa. We first performed a literature review of FSW size estimates and then developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to synthesize these size estimates, resolving competing size estimates in the same area and producing estimates in areas without any data. We estimated that there are 2.5 million (95% uncertainty interval 1.9 to 3.1) FSW aged 15 to 49 in sub-Saharan Africa. This represents a proportion as percent of all women of childbearing age of 1.1% (95% uncertainty interval 0.8 to 1.3%). The analyses further revealed substantial differences between the proportions of FSW among adult females at the sub-national level and studied the relationship between these heterogeneities and many predictors. Ultimately, achieving the vision of no new HIV infections by 2030 necessitates dramatic improvements in our delivery of evidence-based services for sex workers across sub-Saharan Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Laga
- Montana State University, Bozeman, MT59717
| | - Xiaoyue Niu
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | | | | | - Amrita Rao
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - David Chen
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | | | - Nancy Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya
- South African Medical Research Council/University of Johannesburg Pan African Centre for Epidemics Research Extramural Unit and Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg2028, South Africa
| | | | - Keith Sabin
- The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Geneva1211, Switzerland
| | - Jinkou Zhao
- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Geneva1218, Switzerland
| | - Jeffrey W. Eaton
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Le Bao
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
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Zhu A, Bruketa E, Svoboda T, Patel J, Elmi N, El-Khechen Richandi G, Baral S, Orkin AM. Respiratory infectious disease outbreaks among people experiencing homelessness: a systematic review of prevention and mitigation strategies. Ann Epidemiol 2023; 77:127-135. [PMID: 35342013 DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are at increased risk of respiratory infections and associated morbidity and mortality. To characterize optimal intervention strategies, we completed a systematic review of mitigation strategies for PEH to minimize the spread and impact of respiratory infectious disease outbreaks, including COVID-19. METHODS The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (#2020 CRD42020208964) and was consistent with the preferred reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. A search algorithm containing keywords that were synonymous to the terms "Homeless" and "Respiratory Illness" was applied to the six databases. The search concluded on September 22, 2020. Quality assessment was performed at the study level. Steps were conducted by two independent team members. RESULTS A total of 4468 unique titles were retrieved with 21 meeting criteria for inclusion. Interventions included testing, tracking, screening, infection prevention and control, isolation support, and education. Historically, there has been limited study of intervention strategies specifically for PEH across the world. CONCLUSIONS Staff and organizations providing services for people experiencing homelessness face specific challenges in adhering to public health guidelines such as physical distancing, isolation, and routine hygiene practices. There is a discrepancy between the burden of infectious diseases among PEH and specific research characterizing optimal intervention strategies to mitigate transmission in the context of shelters. Improving health for people experiencing homelessness necessitates investment in programs scaling existing interventions and research to study new approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Zhu
- Population Health Service, Inner City Health Associates. Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of General Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Eva Bruketa
- Population Health Service, Inner City Health Associates. Toronto, ON, Canada; Queen's University, School of Medicine, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Tomislav Svoboda
- Population Health Service, Inner City Health Associates. Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jamie Patel
- Population Health Service, Inner City Health Associates. Toronto, ON, Canada; Ryerson University, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nika Elmi
- Population Health Service, Inner City Health Associates. Toronto, ON, Canada; Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Stefan Baral
- Population Health Service, Inner City Health Associates. Toronto, ON, Canada; Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Aaron M Orkin
- Population Health Service, Inner City Health Associates. Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Perrin H, Shannon K, Lowik AJ, Rich A, Baral S, Braschel M, Deering K. Access to and quality of care for sexual and gender minority women living with HIV in Metro Vancouver, Canada: Results from a longitudinal cohort study. Womens Health (Lond) 2023; 19:17455057231205677. [PMID: 38116643 PMCID: PMC10676058 DOI: 10.1177/17455057231205677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While scarce, literature suggests that women at the intersection of HIV status and gender and/or sexual minority identities experience heightened social and health disparities within health care systems. OBJECTIVES This study examines the association between sexual and/or gender minority identities and: (1) experiences of poor treatment by health professionals and (2) being unable to access health services among a cohort of women living with HIV in Metro Vancouver, Canada. DESIGN Data were drawn from a longitudinal community-based cohort of women living with HIV (Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Women's Longitudinal Needs Assessment). METHODS We examined associations between sexual and/or gender minority identities and the two outcomes. We drew on explanatory variables to measure sexual minority and gender minority identities independently and a combined variable measuring sexual and/or gender minority identities. The associations between each of these three variables and each outcome were analysed using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models with generalized estimating equations for repeated measures over time. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals are reported. RESULTS The study sample included 1460 observations on 315 participants over 4.5 years (September 2014 to February 2019). Overall, 125 (39.7%) reported poor treatment by health professionals and 102 (32.4%) reported being unable to access health care services when needed at least once over the study period. A total of 110 (34.9%) of participants reported sexual and/or gender minority identities, 106 (33.7%) reporting sexual minority identities, with 29 (9.2%) reporting gender minority identities. In multivariable analysis, adjusting for confounders, sexual minority identities, and combined sexual and/or gender minority identities were significantly associated with increased odds of experiencing poor treatment by health professionals (sexual minority adjusted odds ratio = 1.39 (0.94-2.05); sexual and/or gender minority adjusted odds ratio = 1.48 (1.00-2.18)) and being unable to access health services (sexual minority adjusted odds ratio = 1.89 (1.20-2.97); sexual and/or gender minority adjusted odds ratio = 1.91 (1.23-2.98)). In multivariable analysis, gender minority identities were not significantly associated with increased odds of experiencing poor treatment by health professionals (gender minority adjusted odds ratio = 1.38; 95% CI = 0.76-2.52) and being unable to access health services (gender minority adjusted odds ratio = 1.72; 95% CI = 0.89-3.31) possibly due to low sample size among women with gender minority identities. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest the need for access to inclusive, affirming, trauma-informed health care services tailored specifically for and by women living with HIV with sexual and/or gender minority identities.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Perrin
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - K Shannon
- Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Division of Social Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - AJ Lowik
- Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - A Rich
- Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Social Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - S Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - M Braschel
- Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Division of Social Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - K Deering
- Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Division of Social Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Adeyemi OA, Nowak RG, Marzinke M, Morgan D, Sam-Agudu N, Craddock J, Zhan M, Crowell TA, Baral S, Ndembi N, Adebajo S, Charurat ME. Correlates of self-reported and biomarker based adherence to daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among a cohort of predominantly men who have sex with men in Nigeria. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282999. [PMID: 36928630 PMCID: PMC10019705 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) significantly reduces the risk of HIV acquisition. However, studies have demonstrated discordance between self-reported measures and biomedical benchmarks of PrEP adherence. We estimated the correlation between self-reported PrEP adherence and PrEP biomarkers and explored factors associated with adherence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Nigeria. METHODS TRUST-PrEP, an open-label, prospective study; conducted in Abuja between April 2018 and May 2019. MSM ≥ 18 years with substantial HIV risk were enrolled. Participants reported PrEP adherence in the last month using a 4-point scale from "poor" to "perfect" and serum samples for PrEP biomarkers were collected at months 3 and 9. Serum tenofovir concentration was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and considered protective for adherence if ≥ 4.2 ng/ml. Spearman's rank correlation was used to estimate correlation between self-reported adherence and measured tenofovir levels. Generalized estimating equations with a logit link was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between self-reported adherence and laboratory-measured adherence. RESULTS A total of 219 MSM with median age 23 (interquartile range 20-27) years had at least one PrEP biomarker assay. Only 66/219 (30%) had at least one record of protective tenofovir concentration. Correlation between tenofovir and self-reported adherence at 3 and 9 months were 0.1 and 0.02 respectively. Furthermore, 17/219 (8%,) and 49/219 (22%) had serum tenofovir of 4.2-35.4 ng/mL and ≥ 35.5 ng/mL, corresponding to at least 4 and 7 days' PrEP use in a week, respectively. PrEP adherence was higher among participants introduced to PrEP in the clinics compared with communities (aOR: 8.35, 95%CI: [3.24, 21.5]) and those with same-sex practices family disclosure (aOR: 3.60 95% CI: [1.73, 7.51]). CONCLUSION Self-reported PrEP adherence poorly correlated with biomarkers. Facilitating clinic-based PrEP introduction and disclosure of same-sex practices to family among MSM may improve PrEP adherence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olusegun A. Adeyemi
- Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- International Research Center of Excellence, Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Nigeria
- * E-mail:
| | - Rebecca G. Nowak
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Mark Marzinke
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Daniel Morgan
- Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Nadia Sam-Agudu
- International Research Center of Excellence, Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Jaih Craddock
- School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Min Zhan
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Trevor A. Crowell
- Henry M Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
- U.S Military HIV Research Program, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Stefan Baral
- The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Nicaise Ndembi
- International Research Center of Excellence, Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Sylvia Adebajo
- Center for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Manhattan E. Charurat
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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Rapaport SF, Peer AD, Viswasam N, Hahn E, Ryan S, Turpin G, Lyons CE, Baral S, Hansoti B. Implementing HIV Prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review of Interventions Targeting Systems, Communities, and Individuals. AIDS Behav 2023; 27:150-160. [PMID: 35913588 PMCID: PMC9851926 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-022-03751-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
HIV remains a threat to global public health, disproportionately affecting countries across Sub-Saharan Africa. Although treatment and access to care have improved, prevention remains critical to ending new HIV infections by 2030. A variety of prevention strategies exist, yet their effectiveness is difficult to measure and variable due to the nature of the interventions and vulnerability of the intervention during implementation. This systematic review of 51 studies synthesizes data on the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based HIV prevention interventions across Sub-Saharan Africa. Studies were included if they occurred between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2019, inclusive in Sub-Saharan Africa, were written in English, implemented an HIV prevention intervention in the field, and had reportable results. Using a modified social-ecological model for HIV prevention, we divided studies into three categories: interventions targeting health systems (n = 16), communities (n = 8), and individuals (n = 27). Across all categories, the data emphasized preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), medical interventions, and psychosocial interventions. The most successful programs bundled several interventions that were integrated into the health system. There is a notable lack of interventions targeting key populations and there are significant rates of loss to follow up (LTFU) across many studies. This review provides insight into the prioritization of evidence-based HIV prevention interventions across Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah F. Rapaport
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Austin D. Peer
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Nikita Viswasam
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Elizabeth Hahn
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sophia Ryan
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Gnilane Turpin
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Carrie E. Lyons
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Bhakti Hansoti
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Logie CH, Okumu M, Berry I, McAlpine A, Musoke DK, Hakiza R, Perez-Brumer A, Baral S, Kyambadde P. Multi-method findings on COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among urban refugee adolescents and youth in Kampala, Uganda. Glob Public Health 2023; 18:2185800. [PMID: 36883681 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2023.2185800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACTScant studies have explored COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among refugees. However, contexts of forced migration may elevate COVID-19 vulnerabilities, and suboptimal refugee immunisation rates are reported for other vaccine-preventable diseases. We conducted a multi-methods study to describe COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda. This study uses cross-sectional survey data from a cohort study with refugees aged 16-24 in Kampala to examine socio-demographic factors associated with vaccine acceptability. A purposively sampled cohort subset (n = 24) participated in semi-structured in-depth individual interviews, as did key informants (n = 6), to explore COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Among 326 survey participants (mean age: 19.9; standard deviation 2.4; 50.0% cisgender women), vaccine acceptance was low (18.1% reported they were very likely to accept an effective COVID-19 vaccine). In multivariable models, vaccine acceptance likelihood was significantly associated with age and country of origin. Qualitative findings highlighted COVID-19 vaccine acceptability barriers and facilitators spanning social-ecological levels, including fear of side effects and mistrust (individual level), misinformed healthcare, community and family attitudes (community level), tailored COVID-19 services for refugees (organisational and practice setting), and political support for vaccines (policy environment). These data signal the urgent need to address social-ecological factors shaping COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among Kampala's young urban refugees.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04631367.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen H Logie
- Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment & Health, Hamilton, Canada.,Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Moses Okumu
- School of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Isha Berry
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Alyssa McAlpine
- Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Robert Hakiza
- Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID), Kampala, Uganda
| | - Amaya Perez-Brumer
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Stefan Baral
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Peter Kyambadde
- National AIDS Control Program, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda.,Most At Risk Population Initiative Clinic, Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda
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Appa AA, Stein B, Baral S, Knight K, Gandhi M, Coffin P, Martin M. 1406. IMPACT ( Infection Management Plus Addiction Care Together): A Combined Contingency Management Pilot for Substance Use Disorders & Antibiotic Adherence in the Acute Care Setting. Open Forum Infect Dis 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofac492.1235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Amidst interrelated problems of increasing infections related to drug use and overdose deaths, contingency management (CM) is an underutilized substance use disorder treatment that leverages incentives for objective behavior change. CM implementation outside of drug treatment settings is limited, despite its regard as gold-standard treatment for stimulant use disorder and potential use to support infection treatment completion.
Objective: to describe feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a novel CM program incentivizing reduced drug use and antibiotic adherence in the acute care setting.
Methods
We conducted a pilot of twice weekly CM in an urban public hospital and its attached skilled nursing facility with escalating opportunities to earn incentives from a fishbowl based on 1) antibiotic adherence and/or 2) absence of stimulants or opioids on urine drug testing. Eligible participants were people with stimulant and/or opioid use disorders hospitalized for at least 2 weeks of infection treatment. We measured feasibility via visits attempted/completed and cost of gift cards dispensed. We evaluated effectiveness via antibiotic completion, discharge type, and participant perception of intervention effectiveness collected via structured survey.
Results
Between March-April 2022, n=9 participants were referred to IMPACT, and n=7 were enrolled. Most participants (5/7) required antibiotics for osteomyelitis, and most had stimulant use disorder (methamphetamine, 5/7) and opioid use disorder (fentanyl, 5/7). In 4 of 7 instances, multiple visits were necessary to complete a CM visit, and participants earned between $10-$350 during intervention. Only 1 participant self-directed discharge without antibiotic completion. Most participants reported CM “extremely effective” in supporting antibiotic completion, though were more likely to describe CM as moderately effective (range 5-8/10) in addressing drug use reduction.
Conclusion
CM for patients with stimulant and/or opioid use disorders needing prolonged antibiotics in acute care settings may be effective in supporting antibiotic completion, and additional exploration is needed to understand both program feasibility and its role in supporting reduced drug use for participants after discharge.
Disclosures
All Authors: No reported disclosures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Monica Gandhi
- University of California , San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Phillip Coffin
- SF Department of Public Health , San Francisco, California
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Chen C, Baral S, Comins CA, Mcingana M, Wang L, Phetlhu DR, Mulumba N, Guddera V, Young K, Mishra S, Hausler H, Schwartz SR. HIV- and sex work-related stigmas and quality of life of female sex workers living with HIV in South Africa: a cross-sectional study. BMC Infect Dis 2022; 22:910. [PMID: 36474210 PMCID: PMC9724359 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07892-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Environmental quality of life (QoL) assesses individually perceived factors such as physical safety and security, accessibility, quality of healthcare, and physical environment. These factors are particularly relevant in the context of sex work and HIV, where stigma has been identified as an important barrier across several prevention and treatment domains. This study aims to examine the association between different types of HIV- and sex work-related stigmas and environmental QoL among female sex workers (FSW) living with HIV in Durban, South Africa. METHODS We conducted cross-sectional analyses using baseline data from the Siyaphambili randomized controlled trial. FSW who reported sex work as their primary source of income and had been diagnosed with HIV for ≥ 6 months were enrolled from June 2018-March 2020, in eThekwini, South Africa. We evaluated the association between environmental QoL, dichotomizing the environmental domain score collected by the WHO Quality of Life HIV Brief (WHOQOL-HIV BREF) questionnaire at the median, and stigma using modified robust Poisson regression models. Five stigma subscales were assessed: sex work-related (anticipated, enacted, or internalized stigma) and HIV-related (anticipated or enacted stigma). RESULTS Among 1373 FSW, the median environmental QoL was 10.5 out of 20 [IQR: 9.0-12.5; range 4.0-19.0], while the median overall QoL was 3 out of 5 [IQR: 2-4; range 1-5]. One-third of FSW (n = 456) fell above the median environmental QoL score, while 67% were above the median overall QoL (n = 917). Reporting anticipated sex work stigma was associated with lower environmental QoL (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 0.74 [95% CI 0.61, 0.90]), as was severe internalized sex work stigma (aPR: 0.64, 95% CI 0.48, 0.86). Reporting enacted HIV stigma versus none was similarly associated with lower environmental QoL (aPR: 0.65, 95% CI 0.49, 0.87). Enacted sex work stigma and anticipated HIV stigma were not statistically associated with environmental QoL. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the need to consider the impact of multiple stigmas on FSW's non-HIV related clinical outcomes, including safety and physical well-being. Moreover, these results suggest that addressing underlying structural risks may support the impact of more proximal HIV prevention and treatment interventions. Trial registration NCT03500172 (April 17, 2018).
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Chen
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, W3503, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, W3503, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Carly A. Comins
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, W3503, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Mfezi Mcingana
- grid.438604.dTB HIV Care Association, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Linwei Wang
- grid.415502.7MAP-Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Deliwe Rene Phetlhu
- grid.438604.dTB HIV Care Association, Cape Town, South Africa ,grid.8974.20000 0001 2156 8226University of Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ntambue Mulumba
- grid.438604.dTB HIV Care Association, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Vijay Guddera
- grid.438604.dTB HIV Care Association, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Katherine Young
- grid.438604.dTB HIV Care Association, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sharmistha Mishra
- grid.415502.7MAP-Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada ,grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada ,grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Harry Hausler
- grid.438604.dTB HIV Care Association, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sheree R. Schwartz
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, W3503, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
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Okonkwo N, Rwema JOT, Lyons C, Liestman B, Nyombayire J, Olawore O, Nsanzimana S, Mugwaneza P, Kagaba A, Sullivan P, Allen S, Karita E, Baral S. The Relationship Between Sexual Behavior Stigma and Depression Among Men Who have Sex with Men and Transgender Women in Kigali, Rwanda: a Cross-sectional Study. Int J Ment Health Addict 2022; 20:3228-3243. [PMID: 36532817 PMCID: PMC9754158 DOI: 10.1007/s11469-021-00699-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
To evaluate the role of sexual behavior stigma as a determinant of depressive symptoms among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in Kigali, Rwanda. MSM/TGW aged ≥18 years were recruited using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) between March-August, 2018. Mental health was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Sexual behavior stigma from friends and family, healthcare workers, and community members was assessed using a validated instrument. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to determine the association between sexual behavior stigma and depressive symptoms and depression. Secondary analyses further compared depression and depressive symptoms among MSM and TGW. Among the 736 participants included, 14% (106/736) identified as TGW. Depression 8.9% (RDS-adjusted, 7.6%; 95% CI, 4.6-10.6) and mild/moderate symptoms of depression 26.4% (RDS-adjusted, 24.1%; 95% CI, 19.4-28.7) were common and higher among TGW compared to MSM (p < 0.001). Anticipated (41%), perceived (36%), and enacted (45%) stigmas were highly prevalent, and were also significantly higher among TGW (p < 0.001). In multivariable RDS-adjusted analysis, anticipated (relative risk ratio (RRR), 1.88; 95% CI, 1.11-3.19) and perceived (RRR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.12-3.79) stigmas were associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms. Anticipated (RRR, 4.78; 95% CI, 1.74-13.13) and enacted (RRR, 3.09; 95% CI, 1.61-5.93) stigmas were also associated with a higher prevalence of depression. In secondary analyses, the significant differences between MSM and TGW were lost after adjusting for stigma. These data demonstrate a high burden of depressive symptoms and depression among MSM/TGW in Kigali. Conceptually, stigma is a likely antecedent of mental health stress among MSM and TGW suggesting the potential utility of scaling up stigma mitigation interventions to improve the quality of life and mental health outcomes among sexual and gender minority communities in Rwanda.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. Okonkwo
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jean Olivier Twahirwa Rwema
- Department of Epidemiology, Key Populations Program, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe Street E 7133 Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - C. Lyons
- Department of Epidemiology, Key Populations Program, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe Street E 7133 Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - B. Liestman
- Department of Epidemiology, Key Populations Program, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe Street E 7133 Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | | | - O. Olawore
- Department of Epidemiology, Key Populations Program, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe Street E 7133 Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - S. Nsanzimana
- Rwanda Biomedical Center, HIV and AIDS Division, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - P. Mugwaneza
- Rwanda Biomedical Center, HIV and AIDS Division, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - A. Kagaba
- Health Development Initiative, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - P. Sullivan
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - S. Allen
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - E. Karita
- Projet San Francisco, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - S. Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Key Populations Program, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe Street E 7133 Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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Khezri M, Tavakoli F, Karamouzian M, Sharifi H, Ghalehkhani N, Mousavian G, Mehmandoost S, Bazargani M, Hosseinpour AM, Mahboubi M, Baral S, Shokoohi M. Public injecting and its association with mental health and other drug-related outcomes among people who inject drugs in Iran. J Subst Abuse Treat 2022; 143:108868. [PMID: 36137306 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2022.108868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Injecting in public places may increase the risk of drug and health-related harms among people who inject drugs (PWID). We examined the prevalence of public injecting and associations with non-fatal overdose, needle/syringe sharing, sexual health, and mental health among PWID in Iran. METHODS Using respondent-driven sampling, we recruited 2684 PWID from 11 major cities between July 2019 and March 2020. We defined public injecting as injecting primarily in public places, such as streets, parks, or abandoned buildings. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed public injecting and its associated factors, as well as the association of public injecting with certain health outcomes. RESULTS Of 2388 respondents, 69.6 % reported public injecting in the previous year. Self-identifying as men (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.21; 95 % confidence intervals [95 % CI]: 2.31, 7.65), homelessness (aOR = 6.81; 95 % CI: 5.10, 9.10), high injection frequency (aOR = 1.58; 95 % CI: 1.03, 2.44), and free needle/syringe uptake (aOR = 1.47; 95 % CI: 1.04, 2.07) were significantly associated with public injecting. Compared to PWID who primarily inject in non-public places, PWID who mostly used public places had significantly greater odds of reporting non-fatal overdose (aOR = 2.02; 95 % CI: 1.01, 4.02), needle/syringe sharing (aOR = 1.77; 95 % CI: 1.08, 2.90), unsafe sexual practices with casual sexual partners (aOR = 2.16; 95 % CI: 1.03, 4.55), suicidal ideation (aOR = 1.50; 95 % CI: 1.02, 2.21), and self-harm (aOR = 1.78; 95 % CI: 1.24, 2.54) in the last three months. CONCLUSION These results suggest the potential utility of a safer injecting environment to mitigate the multiple harms associated with public injecting in Iran. Optimizing health and well-being of PWID necessitates integrating supervised injection facilities into the current harm reduction programs and services in Iran. Future studies should also consider the experiences of additional mental health harms associated with public injecting when exploring adverse health outcomes among PWID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrdad Khezri
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Tavakoli
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mohammad Karamouzian
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States; Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, Saint Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hamid Sharifi
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Nima Ghalehkhani
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Ghazal Mousavian
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Soheil Mehmandoost
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Matin Bazargani
- Center for HIV/STI Control and Prevention, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Mohammad Hosseinpour
- Center for HIV/STI Control and Prevention, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Marzieh Mahboubi
- Center for Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Mostafa Shokoohi
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
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Bekker LG, Giovenco D, Baral S, Dominguez K, Valencia R, Sanchez T, McNaghten A, Zahn R, Yah CS, Sokhela Z, Kaplan R, Phaswana-Mafuya RN, Beyrer C, Sullivan PS. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake, adherence, and adverse events among South African men who have sex with men and transgender women. South Afr J HIV Med 2022; 23:1405. [PMID: 36479416 PMCID: PMC9724083 DOI: 10.4102/sajhivmed.v23i1.1405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Background HIV prevention programmes that include pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in South Africa have not been widely implemented. Objectives The authors examined oral PrEP uptake, adherence, and adverse events among HIV-uninfected MSM and TGW to inform intervention acceptability and feasibility. Method In 2015, MSM and TGW in two South African cities were offered a comprehensive package of HIV prevention services, including daily oral PrEP, and were followed for one year. Different models of PrEP delivery were used at each site. Adherence was measured using self-report and pill-count data and tenofovir-diphosphate (TFV-DP) concentrations. Results Among 135 participants who were eligible for PrEP, 82 (61%) initiated PrEP, of whom 67 (82%) were on PrEP at study end. Participants were on PrEP for a median of 294 out of 314.5 possible days (93% protected days). The median time from PrEP initiation to discontinuation or study end was 305 days (interquartile range: 232-325 days). Across the follow-up time points, 57% - 72% of participants self-reported taking protective levels of PrEP and 59% - 74% were adherent to PrEP as indicated by pill counts. Fewer (≤ 18%) achieved protective TFV-DP concentrations of ≥ 700 fmol/punch in dried blood spots. Side effects, while typically mild, were the most commonly cited reason by participants for early PrEP discontinuation. Conclusion Many MSM and TGW initiated and maintained PrEP, demonstrating that PrEP can be successfully delivered to South African MSM and TGW in diverse programmatic contexts. Biologic adherence measures suggest MSM and TGW may experience challenges taking PrEP regularly. Counselling for coping with side effects and motivating daily pill taking is recommended to support South African MSM and TGW in achieving protection with PrEP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda-Gail Bekker
- Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Danielle Giovenco
- Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
- International Health Institute, Brown University, Providence, United States of America
| | - Stefan Baral
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Karen Dominguez
- Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
- Contraceptive Research and Development (CONRAD), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, United States of America
| | - Rachel Valencia
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States of America
| | - Travis Sanchez
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States of America
| | - A.D. McNaghten
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States of America
| | - Ryan Zahn
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States of America
| | - Clarence S. Yah
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Health System and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Zinhle Sokhela
- Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Refliwe N. Phaswana-Mafuya
- South African Medical Research Council/University of Johannesburg Pan African Centre for Epidemics Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Chris Beyrer
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Patrick S. Sullivan
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States of America
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