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Cisgender men are diagnosed with HIV at a rate four times greater than cisgender women, with 71% of infections attributed to male-male sexual contact. Despite expanding accessibility, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention is initiated by only 30% of people with PrEP indications. Five focus groups with 42 young men who have sex with men from New York and Alabama were conducted to identify key factors to PrEP initiation and persistence. Thirty focus group participants completed a survey on demographics, PrEP choices and health care attitudes. Findings suggest provider competency significantly influences PrEP use due to stigmatization in medical settings. Participants noted benefits of PrEP including HIV protection and sexual empowerment, yet barriers like cost and side effects were prevalent. Our findings outline barriers and facilitators to PrEP use among young men who have sex with men in two high priority settings that will inform PrEP care updates in participating clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on HIV self-testing (HIV-ST) have been limited to adults (age 18+). The study assessed use of HIV-ST among a diverse group of young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in the United States (US) and assessed differences in uptake by demographic characteristics and requirements for parental consent. This study demonstrated feasibility of HIV-ST for YMSM as young as 14 years of age, which suggests potential for increasing HIV testing in this young age group and promoting health equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: Research suggests social support may protect sexual minorities from the harmful effects of victimization that undermine mental and sexual health wellness; however, this relationship has been underexplored among a diverse youth population. We examined the association between lifetime homonegative victimization, perceived stress in the last month, and resilience factors among a diverse sample of adolescent sexual minority males. Methods: Data were collected between June 2018 and April 2020 as part of the MyPEEPS Mobile study, a multi-site randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a mobile behavioral HIV prevention intervention for adolescents living in the U.S. We analyzed baseline survey data from 542 sexual minority males, aged 13–18 years. We used bivariate analyses to examine relationships among variables and multivariable linear regression models to determine if resilience factors attenuated the association between homonegative victimization and perceived stress. Results: Perceived stress was positively associated with younger age, internalized homophobia, experiencing verbal victimization, threats of being outed, and threats of physical violence. Relying on online friends for support and having good family relations both attenuated the relationship between verbal victimization and perceived stress. However, neither of these resilience factors significantly weakened the associations between perceived stress, threats of physical violence, and being outed. Conclusion: Resilience factors, including peer and family support, may play an attenuating role in the relationship between homonegative victimization and perceived stress among adolescent sexual minority males. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03167606 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether homophobic victimization was associated with alcohol consumption and riding with an intoxicated driver or driving a car while under the influence of alcohol or drugs among adolescent men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods: Cross-sectional analysis used baseline data from a national HIV prevention trial (NCT03167606) for adolescent MSM aged 13–18 years (N = 747). Multivariable logistic regression models assessed associations between homophobic victimization (independent variable) and alcohol-related outcomes (dependent variables), controlling for age, parents' education level, sexual orientation, health literacy, race, and ethnicity. Results: Most participants (87%) reported at least one form of homophobic victimization in their lifetime, with verbal insults being the most frequently reported (82%). In the bivariate analysis, alcohol consumption and riding with an intoxicated driver or driving a car while under the influence were associated with many forms of victimization. Exposure to at least one form of victimization was associated with increased odds of alcohol consumption (OR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.38–3.87) and riding with an intoxicated driver or driving a car while under the influence (OR: 2.25; 95% CI: 1.26–4.00), after controlling for covariates. Conclusion: Increased risk of alcohol consumption and risky alcohol-related behaviors were found among adolescent MSM who experienced homophobic victimization. Interventions should address homophobic victimization and its impact on adolescent MSM, as well as disentangling motivations for underage drinking, riding with an intoxicated driver or driving a car while under the influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the approval of PrEP for adolescents by the FDA in 2018, little is known about the awareness and attitudes about PrEP use among adolescent sexual minority males, who are at the greatest risk for HIV. We analyzed baseline data from the MyPEEPS Mobile study, a multi-site randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a mobile behavioral HIV prevention intervention. A substantial proportion (68.2%) of study participants (ages 13-18) had previously heard about PrEP, and an overwhelming majority (90.8%) reported willingness to take PrEP, to prevent HIV. On the other hand, only about one third (34.6%) of participants indicated that taking a daily HIV pill would be "very" or "completely" effective in preventing HIV when having sex without a condom. These findings suggest that high awareness and willingness to use PrEP across various adolescent subgroups present opportunities for increased PrEP advocacy among this young age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Young sexual minority men in the United States have a high incidence rate of HIV infection. Early intervention among this group, that is timed to precede or coincide with sexual initiation, is of critical importance to prevent HIV infection. Despite this, there are very few published randomized controlled efficacy trials testing interventions to reduce sexual vulnerability for HIV acquisition among racially/ethnically diverse, very young, sexual minority men (aged ≤18 years). This paper describes the design of a mobile app-based intervention trial to reduce sexual risk for HIV acquisition and promote health protection in this group.Methods: This study is a randomized controlled trial of an mHealth-based HIV prevention intervention, MyPEEPS Mobile, among diverse sexual minority cisgender young men, aged 13-18 years. The mobile intervention was adapted from a prior group-based intervention curriculum with evidence of efficacy, designed to be specific to the risk contexts and realities of young sexual minority men, and to include psychoeducational and skill-building components with interactive games and activities. Participants are recruited locally within four regional hubs (Birmingham, AL, Chicago, IL, New York City, NY, Seattle, WA) and nationwide via the Internet, enrolled in-person or remotely (via videoconference), and randomized (1:1) to either the MyPEEPS Mobile intervention or delayed intervention condition. Post-hoc stratification by age, race/ethnicity, and urban/suburban vs. rural statuses is used to ensure diversity in the sample. The primary outcomes are number of male anal sex partners and frequency of sexual acts with male partners (with and without condoms), sex under the influence of substances, and uptake of pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis, as well as testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections at 3-, 6- and 9-month follow-up.Discussion: Behavioral interventions for very young sexual minority men are needed to prevent sexual risk early in their sexual development and maturation. This study will provide evidence to determine feasibility and efficacy of a mobile app-based HIV prevention intervention to reduce sexual risk among this very young group.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03167606, registered May 30, 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a dearth of evidence-based HIV prevention interventions for very young men who have sex with men (YMSM) ages 13–18 years, at high risk for HIV. We adapted the MyPEEPS intervention—an evidence-based, group-level intervention—to individual-level delivery by a mobile application. We used an expert panel review, in-depth interviews with YMSM (n = 40), and weekly meetings with the investigative team and the software development company to develop the mobile app. The expert panel recommended changes to the intervention in the following areas: (1) biomedical interventions, (2) salience of intervention content, (3) age group relevance, (4) technical components, and (5) stigma content. Interview findings reflected current areas of focus for the intervention and recommendations of the expert panel for new content. In regular meetings with the software development firm, guiding principles included development of dynamic content, while maintaining fidelity of the original curriculum and shortening intervention content for mobile delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study team developed the MyPEEPS Mobile App for improving HIV prevention behaviors in diverse young men. We conducted a randomized controlled trial and evaluated the preliminary outcomes in the first half (N=350) of our intended study sample. Higher self-efficacy for HIV prevention behaviors (p=0.0042) and more recent HIV tests in the past 3 months (p=0.0156) were reported by the intervention group compared to control. Numbers of condomless anal sex acts were lower among the intervention group for both insertive anal sex acts (p=0.0283) and receptive anal sex acts (p=0.0001). Preliminary results indicate that some sexual risk behaviors were reduced among the intervention group in the preliminary analytic sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report 2 cases of neovaginal Chlamydia trachomatis infection in transgender women who underwent penile-inversion vaginoplasty procedures with integrated peritoneum and urethral grafts. These tissue types may have facilitated C. trachomatis infection. Medical providers should implement neovaginal screening for bacterial sexually transmitted infections in transgender patients at risk for infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MyPEEPS Mobile intervention is a novel evidence-driven intervention using mobile technology to deliver HIV prevention information. This is the first study to test the efficacy of a scaled-up, mobile version of an existing HIV prevention intervention originally developed, designed, and piloted for, a diverse group of YMSM. We used an iterative design process incorporating feedback from experts and end-users to update the user-interface and content of the MyPEEPS Mobile Intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]