1. Persistent disparities in COVID-19-associated impacts on HIV prevention and care among a global sample of sexual and gender minority individuals.
- Author
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Santos, Glenn-Milo, Hong, Chenglin, Wilson, Natalie, Nutor, Jerry John, Harris, Orlando, Garner, Alex, Holloway, Ian, Ayala, George, and Howell, Sean
- Subjects
Humans ,HIV Infections ,Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Sexual Behavior ,Minority Groups ,Sexual and Gender Minorities ,COVID-19 ,SARS-CoV-2 ,HIV ,Health disparities ,economic impact ,sexual and gender minority individuals ,Behavioral and Social Science ,Pediatric ,Pediatric AIDS ,Prevention ,HIV/AIDS ,Infectious Diseases ,Sexual and Gender Minorities (SGM/LGBT*) ,Infection ,Public Health and Health Services ,Public Health - Abstract
As COVID-19 continues to persist, there is a need to examine its impact among sexual and gender minority individuals, especially those with intersecting vulnerabilities. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a global sample of sexual and gender minority individuals (n = 21,795) from October 25, 2020 to November 19, 2020, through a social networking app. We characterised the HIV prevention and HIV treatment impacts of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 mitigation response and examined whether subgroups of our study population are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Many sexual and gender minority individuals reported interruptions to HIV prevention and HIV care and treatment services. These consequences were significantly greater among people living with HIV, racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants, individuals with a history of sex work, and socio-economically disadvantaged groups. These findings highlight the urgent need to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 among sexual and gender minority individuals.
- Published
- 2022