87 results on '"Sanchez TH"'
Search Results
2. Prevalence of treatment optimism-related risk behavior and associated factors among men who have sex with men in 11 states, 2000-2001.
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Sullivan PS, Drake AJ, and Sanchez TH
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- 2007
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3. CITATION ANALYSIS OF URBAN PLANNING SCHOLARS IN THE U.S.
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Sanchez Thomas W
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bibliometrics ,Webometrics ,urban planning ,h-index ,scientometrics ,open access ,publication activity ,Google Scholar ,Web of Science ,gray literature ,citation ,Construction industry ,HD9715-9717.5 - Abstract
This article provides a complete citation analysis for the field of urban planning in the U.S. Urban planning is multi-disciplinary with a rich tradition of debate about the knowledge domain of both research and practice. Urban planning includes consideration of social, economic, technological, environmental, and political systems that are highly sophisticated, which therefore has an extensive body of scholarship. The article argues that Google Scholar is an appropriate source of citation data for urban planning and includes a brief example of one urban planning scholar to demonstrate GS citation patterns. This is followed by the results of a descriptive analysis showing general patterns of citation activity for urban planning schools. A greater depth of analysis is required to better understand the dynamics of these scholarly activities.
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- 2015
4. Sexuality-Based Stigma, Other Painful and Provocative Events, and Suicide Attempt Among Cisgender Sexually Minoritized Men in the United States.
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Wiginton JM, Baral SD, Sanchez TH, Wilcox HC, and Murray SM
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Objective: Guided by Minority Stress and Interpersonal and Ideation-to-Action Theories of Suicide, we sought to identify latent classes of painful and provocative events (PPEs), determine associations with class membership, and assess class-specific suicide attempt prevalence among cisgender sexually minoritized men (SMM) with suicidal ideation in the United States., Method: Using data collected from October 2020 to January 2021 from 1617 SMM reporting past-year suicidal ideation, we performed latent class analysis on 22 PPE items spanning sexual behavior stigma, substance use, high-risk sex, and food and housing insecurity. We used multinomial logistic regression to assess associations with class membership and the Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars method to estimate class-specific past-year suicide attempt prevalence., Results: Participant mean age was 29 years, 63% (n = 1010) were non-Hispanic white, and 14% (n = 221) reported a past-year suicide attempt. Five classes emerged: Extreme (7%, n = 113), featuring pervasive stigma, polysubstance use, high-risk sex, and food and housing insecurity; Severe/marijuana (15%, n = 236), featuring pervasive stigma, alcohol use, marijuana use, high-risk sex, and food insecurity; Severe (18%, n = 296), featuring the same PPEs minus marijuana use; Moderate (17%, n = 267), featuring family stigma, verbal harassment, some polysubstance use, and high-risk sex; and Mild (44%, n = 705), featuring family and friends stigma, verbal harassment, and alcohol use. Significantly higher suicide attempt prevalence emerged in the Extreme/Severe classes (12-16%) relative to the Mild/Moderate classes (2%)., Conclusions: Stigma and substance use were common across classes, implicating both as key factors shaping suicide risk among SMM. Holistic, multipronged, tailored interventions targeting stigma, substance use, and other PPEs are needed.
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- 2024
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5. Perceptions of Molecular HIV Surveillance Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States.
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Valenzuela Lara M, Sanchez TH, Bollinger JM, Geller G, Little SJ, and Sugarman J
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Expanding HIV cluster detection using molecular HIV surveillance (MHS) raises ethical and social concerns, which may impede HIV outbreak detection and response as well as deter people living with HIV from seeking care. This underscores the need for effective communication strategies. We examined two methods for explaining MHS among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV and at-risk without HIV in the United States. Participants recruited during the 2021 American Men's Internet Survey (AMIS) were randomized to view a brief video (N = 822) or text (N = 1701) explaining MHS. Respondents with high video engagement were less likely to be concerned about MHS. In the text group, discomfort with MHS decreased as awareness of different public health activities increased. Overall, information about MHS and increased awareness of it improved its acceptability. Effective communication is an essential prerequisite for meaningfully engaging stakeholders regarding MHS implementation in HIV prevention and control efforts., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing Interests: Jeremy Sugarman is a consultant to Merck KGaA, IQVIA, and Merck; he is also a member of Aspen Neurosciences’ Clinical Advisory Panel. None of these activities is related to the material discussed in this manuscript. Susan J. Little received grant support paid to her institution from Gilead Sciences. All other authors reported no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. Ethical Approval: The Emory University Human Subjects Research Review Board (IRB #47676) reviewed and approved the study. Consent to Participate: Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
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- 2024
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6. Individual & joint associations of sexual stigma and mental distress with PrEP uptake, adherence and persistence among US gay and bisexual men.
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Onwubiko UN, Murray SM, Rao A, Chamberlain AT, Sanchez TH, Benkeser D, Holland DP, Jenness SM, and Baral SD
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- Humans, Male, Adult, Middle Aged, United States, Psychological Distress, Surveys and Questionnaires, Medication Adherence psychology, Medication Adherence statistics & numerical data, Young Adult, Adolescent, Social Stigma, Homosexuality, Male psychology, Homosexuality, Male statistics & numerical data, Sexual and Gender Minorities psychology, Sexual and Gender Minorities statistics & numerical data, HIV Infections psychology, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis statistics & numerical data
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Background: Sexual stigma, mental health disorders, and socioeconomic disparities present important yet incompletely understood barriers to PrEP adoption among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM). This study examines how these factors interact and affect PrEP uptake, adherence, and persistence among MSM., Methods: Data from the 2018 and 2019 American Men's Internet Survey cycles, involving 6907 adult MSM eligible for PrEP, were analyzed. We assessed sexual stigma heterogeneity among this group using latent class analysis and investigated individual relationships between i) stigma class membership, ii) mental distress, and PrEP engagement (past-year use, adherence, and persistence) using Poisson regression with a robust error variance, considering potential variations based on poverty status. The combined associations of sexual stigma and mental distress with PrEP engagement was evaluated using inverse probability weighting., Results: Four distinct sexual stigma classes were identified, each exhibiting varied associations with PrEP engagement. Associations with mental distress lost statistical significance after adjusting for confounders. However, having both mental distress and sexual stigma was associated with lower past-year PrEP use, with the strongest association observed for those with anticipated healthcare stigma class membership and mental distress (aPR 0.53 [95% CI: 0.37, 0.76]). Sexual stigma accompanied by mental distress was also associated with significantly increased poor PrEP adherence, particularly among those with family and general social stigma class membership (aPR 2.31 [95% CI: 1.08, 4.97])., Conclusions: Psychosocial factors exert synergistic impacts on PrEP engagement among MSM. Tailored interventions addressing these subtleties may effectively optimize PrEP uptake and improve consistency of use among MSM., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
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- 2024
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7. Transactional Sex, HIV, and Bacterial STIs Among U.S. Men Who have Sex with Men.
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Atkins K, Wiginton JM, Carpino T, Sanchez TH, Murray SM, and Baral SD
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- Humans, Male, Adult, United States epidemiology, Prevalence, Young Adult, Middle Aged, Adolescent, Sexual Partners, Surveys and Questionnaires, Unsafe Sex statistics & numerical data, Sexually Transmitted Diseases epidemiology, Sex Work statistics & numerical data, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis statistics & numerical data, Sexual and Gender Minorities statistics & numerical data, Homosexuality, Male statistics & numerical data, HIV Infections epidemiology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial epidemiology
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Introduction: Men who have sex with men (MSM) and are engaged in transactional sex (MSM-TS) experience complex social and structural vulnerabilities that increase their HIV risk. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of TS and associations between TS and sexually transmitted infection (STI) outcomes among cisgender MSM in the U.S., Methods: Using 2017-2021 data from an online survey of U.S. MSM, characteristics of MSM-TS were summarized, and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) calculated for the associations between past-year TS and bacterial STI diagnosis, HIV status, and either antiretroviral or pre-exposure prophylaxis use. Analyses were conducted in 2023., Results: TS prevalence was 3.7% (n=1,848/49,539). Compared to other MSM, MSM-TS more commonly reported homelessness, being uninsured, condomless anal sex with partners of any HIV status and condomless anal sex with serodifferent partners, and illicit drug use. TS was associated with increased HIV (aPR 1.44, 95% CI 1.25-1.66) and bacterial STI prevalence (aPR 2.40, 95% CI=2.09-2.52) and lower antiretroviral therapy use (among MSM living with HIV; PR 0.92, 95% CI=0.87-0.97)., Conclusions: Structural and behavioral risks converged among U.S. MSM engaging in TS leading to greater HIV and bacterial STI prevalence in this group. HIV interventions for U.S. MSM-TS should address individual as well as structural risks, including poverty and housing instability., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2024
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8. Sexual behavior stigma and HIV/STI biospecimen self-collection among cisgender gay, bisexual, and other sexually minoritized men in the United States.
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Wiginton JM, Ortiz JC, Murray SM, Sanchez TH, and Baral SD
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- Humans, Male, United States, Adult, Young Adult, Middle Aged, Adolescent, Surveys and Questionnaires, Homosexuality, Male psychology, Social Stigma, Sexual Behavior, HIV Infections psychology, Specimen Handling methods, Sexual and Gender Minorities psychology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases psychology
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Introduction: Disparities in HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) persist among cisgender sexually minoritized men in the United States, driven in part by sexual behavior stigma, which is a barrier to clinic-based HIV/STI testing. HIV/STI biospecimen self-collection (HSBS) is a novel testing approach that mitigates stigma by allowing for some testing-related procedures to be conducted by oneself in one's home or any private location rather than a facility that requires interpersonal interactions and exposure to other members of the public. HSBS has demonstrated acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness in testing uptake, but the extent to which stigma persists in HSBS and the quantification of stigma's role in HSBS is limited., Methods: From 2019-2020, a nationwide sample of sexually minoritized men completed an online biobehavioral survey. Those who agreed to be recontacted (N = 4147) were invited to participate in HSBS; consented participants received self-collection kits that were laboratory-tested if completed. Sexual behavior stigma and HSBS associations were assessed with logistic regression., Results: Mean age of participants was 35 years, 58% (2421/4147) were non-Hispanic white, 82% (3391/4147) were gay-identifying, 47% (1967/4147) had at least a college degree, and 56% (2342/4147) earned ≥ $40,000 annually; 27% (1112/4147) expressed HSBS interest, and 67% (689/1034) completed HSBS. HSBS interest and completion were less common among non-Hispanic Black sexually minoritized men and sexually minoritized men of lower socioeconomic status. Stigma from family and friends was significantly, negatively associated with HSBS interest (aOR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.56, 0.93). Among those who had not tested for HIV/STIs in the past year, anticipated healthcare stigma was marginally, negatively associated with HSBS completion (aOR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.15, 1.07). Among those who had never previously tested for HIV/STIs, anticipated healthcare stigma was significantly, negatively associated with HSBS interest (aOR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.14, 0.72)., Conclusions: Sexual behavior stigma persists as an HIV/STI testing barrier, even in the case of HSBS, limiting its utilization. Increasing HSBS among sexually minoritized men in the US necessitates stigma mitigation efforts that directly address equity in implementation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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- 2024
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9. Increases in Awareness and Uptake of Dating Apps' Sexual Health Features Among US Men Who Have Sex with Men, 2018 to 2021.
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Hecht J, Zlotorzynska M, Wohlfeiler D, and Sanchez TH
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- Humans, Male, Adult, United States, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sexual Behavior psychology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases prevention & control, Middle Aged, Young Adult, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Adolescent, Mobile Applications, Sexual Health, Sexual Partners, Homosexuality, Male statistics & numerical data, Homosexuality, Male psychology
- Abstract
Dating apps are now used by the majority of MSM to meet sexual and romantic partners. While research has demonstrated an association between app use and greater number of sex partners and STIs, dating apps also pose an opportunity for intervention. By advocating for new and improved sexual health features on dating apps, Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) aims to increase communication about sexual health on the apps. As a follow-up to our previous paper assessing the uptake of sexual health-related profile options on dating apps through Emory's annual survey of 10,000 MSM in the US, BHOC and Emory partnered to explore the change in uptake over time, again through their annual survey. Among survey participants in 2021, 85% reported using dating apps to meet a partner in the past year, and among this group, 93% reported awareness of sexual health features, up from 77% in 2018 (p < 0.0001). 71% of app users who were aware of features in 2021 reported using one or more sexual health feature, up from 61% in 2018 (p < 0.0001). BHOC will continue to advocate for increased uptake of these features, especially among subgroups with lower levels of uptake., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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- 2024
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10. Characterizing the Communication Networks of Spanish- and English-Speaking Latinx Sexual Minority Men and Their Roles in Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Uptake.
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Lee JJ, Wang L, Vo K, Gonzalez C, Orellana ER, Kerani RP, Katz DA, Sanchez TH, and Graham SM
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- Humans, Male, Adult, United States, Young Adult, Middle Aged, Adolescent, Surveys and Questionnaires, Communication Barriers, Communication, Patient Acceptance of Health Care statistics & numerical data, Patient Acceptance of Health Care ethnology, Patient Acceptance of Health Care psychology, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Hispanic or Latino statistics & numerical data, Hispanic or Latino psychology, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis statistics & numerical data, HIV Infections prevention & control, HIV Infections ethnology, Sexual and Gender Minorities statistics & numerical data, Sexual and Gender Minorities psychology, Language
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While pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has demonstrated efficacy in preventing HIV transmission, disparities in access persist in the United States, especially among Hispanic/Latinx sexual minority men (SMM). Language barriers and differences in how Latinx SMM obtain information may impact access to PrEP and HIV prevention. This study used data from the 2021 American Men's Internet Survey (AMIS) to examine differences in communication networks and PrEP use among Latinx SMM by primary language (Spanish vs. English). We examined the associations between Latinx SMM's individual- and meso-level communication networks and PrEP-related outcomes using modified Poisson regression with robust variances. Spanish-speaking Latinx SMM in the study were less likely to test for HIV, be aware of PrEP, and use daily PrEP, compared to English-speaking participants. Sexuality disclosure to a healthcare provider was positively associated with PrEP uptake among all participants and predicted STI testing over the past 12 months among English-speaking Latinx SMM. Findings highlight disparities in PrEP awareness and uptake among Latinx SMM, especially among those whose primary language is Spanish. Addressing these disparities through targeted interventions, including improved communication with healthcare providers, may help facilitate PrEP access and use in this population.
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- 2024
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11. Effect of time post warming to embryo transfer on human blastocyst metabolism and pregnancy outcome.
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Ardestani G, Martins M, Ocali O, Sanchez TH, Gulliford C, Barrett CB, and Sakkas D
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- Humans, Female, Pregnancy, Adult, Retrospective Studies, Fertilization in Vitro methods, Live Birth epidemiology, Abortion, Spontaneous, Time Factors, Birth Rate, Blastocyst metabolism, Embryo Transfer methods, Pregnancy Outcome, Embryo Culture Techniques methods, Pregnancy Rate, Cryopreservation methods
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Purpose: This study is aiming to test whether variation in post warming culture time impacts blastocyst metabolism or pregnancy outcome., Methods: In this single center retrospective cohort study, outcomes of 11,520 single frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles were analyzed from January 2015 to December 2020. Patient treatments included both natural and programmed cycles. Time categories were determined using the time between blastocyst warming and embryo transfer: 0 (0- <1h), 1 (1-<2h), 2 (2-<3h), 3(3-<4h), 4 (4-<5), 5 (5-<6), 6 (6-<7) and 7 (7-8h). Non-invasive metabolic imaging of discarded human blastocysts for up to 10h was also performed using Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to examine for metabolic perturbations during culture., Results: The mean age of patients across all time categories were comparable (35.6 ± 3.9). Live birth rates (38-52%) and miscarriage rate (5-11%) were not statistically different across post-warming culture time. When assessing pregnancy outcomes based on the use of PGT-A, miscarriage and live birth rates were not statistically different across culture hours in both PGT-A and non-PGT cycles. Further metabolic analysis of blastocysts for the duration of 10h of culture post warming, revealed minimal metabolic changes of embryos in culture., Conclusion: Overall, our results show that differences in the time of post warming culture have no significant impact on miscarriage or live birth rate for frozen embryo transfers. This information can be beneficial for clinical practices with either minimal staffing or a high number of patient cases., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
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- 2024
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12. Behavior Change Among HIV-Negative Men Who Have Sex with Men Not Using PrEP in the United States.
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Goodreau SM, Barry MP, Hamilton DT, Williams AM, Wang LY, Sanchez TH, Katz DA, and Delaney KP
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- Adolescent, Adult, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Young Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Hispanic or Latino statistics & numerical data, Hispanic or Latino psychology, HIV Seronegativity, Risk-Taking, Sexual and Gender Minorities statistics & numerical data, Sexual and Gender Minorities psychology, Sexual Behavior statistics & numerical data, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States epidemiology, White, Condoms statistics & numerical data, HIV Infections prevention & control, HIV Infections epidemiology, Homosexuality, Male statistics & numerical data, Homosexuality, Male psychology, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis statistics & numerical data, Sexual Partners, Unsafe Sex statistics & numerical data, Unsafe Sex psychology
- Abstract
This study measures changes in condomless anal sex (CAS) among HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) who are not taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). It considers the 2014-2019 cycles of the American Men's Internet Survey, a serial, cross-sectional web-based survey of US cisgender MSM aged ≥ 15 years, in which ~ 10% of each year's sample is drawn from the previous year. Among those surveyed for 2 years who remained HIV-negative and off PrEP, reports of having any CAS and of CAS partner number were compared across years. We disaggregated by partner HIV status, and considered demographic predictors. The overall population saw a significant 2.2 percentage-point (pp) increase in reports of any CAS year-over-year. Sub-populations with the largest year-on-year increases were 15-24-year-olds (5.0-pp) and Hispanic respondents (5.1-pp), with interaction (young Hispanic respondents = 12.8-pp). On the relative scale, these numbers correspond to 3.2%, 7.2%, 7.3% and 18.7%, respectively. Absolute increases were concentrated among partners reported as HIV-negative. Multivariable analyses for CAS initiation found effects concentrated among Hispanic and White youth and residents of fringe counties of large metropolitan areas. CAS partner number increases were similarly predicted by Hispanic identity and young age. Although condom use remains more common than PrEP use, increasing CAS among MSM not on PrEP suggests potential new HIV transmission pathways. Concentration of increases among 18-24-year-old MSM portends future increases in the proportion of newly diagnosed HIV that occur among youth. Concentration among young Hispanic MSM will likely expand existing disparities. Although reducing barriers to PrEP remains vital, condom promotion for MSM remains a key public health practice and appears to be missing key audiences. LGBTQ+-inclusive sex education is one avenue for enhancing these efforts., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
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- 2024
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13. Correction: Behavior Change Among HIV-Negative Men Who Have Sex with Men Not Using PrEP in the United States.
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Goodreau SM, Barry MP, Hamilton DT, Williams AM, Wang LY, Sanchez TH, Katz DA, and Delaney KP
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- 2024
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14. Willingness and preferences for long-acting injectable PrEP among US men who have sex with men: a discrete choice experiment.
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Cole SW, Glick JL, Campoamor NB, Sanchez TH, Sarkar S, Vannappagari V, Rinehart A, Rawlings K, Sullivan PS, and Bridges JFP
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- Humans, Male, Adult, United States, Middle Aged, Young Adult, Patient Acceptance of Health Care statistics & numerical data, Surveys and Questionnaires, Pyridones administration & dosage, Adolescent, Choice Behavior, Delayed-Action Preparations, Injections, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis methods, Homosexuality, Male psychology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Patient Preference statistics & numerical data, Anti-HIV Agents administration & dosage, Anti-HIV Agents therapeutic use, Diketopiperazines
- Abstract
Introduction: Cabotegravir long-acting injectable HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (LA-PrEP) was shown to be safe and effective in multiple clinical trials. Increasing uptake and persistence among populations with elevated risk for HIV acquisition, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM), is critical to HIV prevention., Objective: This analysis aims to understand potential users' preferences for LA-PrEP, with audience segmentation., Design: Willingness to use and preferences for LA-PrEP were measured in HIV-negative, sexually active MSM in the 2020 American Men's Internet Survey. Respondents answered a discrete choice experiment with paired profiles of hypothetical LA-PrEP characteristics with an opt-out option (no LA-PrEP). Conditional and mixed logit models were run; the final model was a dummy-coded mixed logit that interacted with the opt-out., Setting: US national online sample., Results: Among 2506 MSM respondents, most (75%) indicated a willingness to use LA-PrEP versus daily oral PrEP versus no PrEP. Respondents were averse to side effects and increasing costs and preferred increasing levels of protection. Respondents preferred a 2-hour time to obtain LA-PrEP vs 1 hour, with a strong aversion to 3 hours. Overall, there was an aversion to opting out of LA-PrEP, with variations: those with only one partner, no/other insurance or who were Black, Indigenous or People of Colour were significantly less likely to prefer LA-PrEP, while those who were Hispanic/Latino, college educated and <40 years significantly preferred LA-PrEP., Conclusions: A large proportion of MSM expressed a preference for LA-PrEP over daily oral pills. Most respondents chose LA-PrEP regardless of cost, clinic time, side effects or protection level; however, preferences varied by sociodemographics. These varied groups likely require tailored intervention strategies to achieve maximum LA-PrEP uptake and persistence., Competing Interests: Competing interests: JG and Johns Hopkins University and THS and PSS and Emory University receive grant funding from ViiV Healthcare to conduct pre-exposure prophylaxis-related research. JFPB holds an Innovation in Regulatory Science Award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)
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- 2024
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15. Reasons for Migration and Their Associations with HIV Risk and Prevention Among Cisgender Sexual Minority Men: A Latent Class Analysis.
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Lee JJ, Kerani RP, Robles G, Sanchez TH, and Katz DA
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- Male, Humans, United States epidemiology, Homosexuality, Male, Latent Class Analysis, Sexual Behavior, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Sexual and Gender Minorities, Substance-Related Disorders epidemiology, Illicit Drugs
- Abstract
The immigrant population in the United States (U.S.) is rapidly growing; yet there is limited knowledge about how reasons for migrating to the U.S. are associated with HIV prevention behaviors. Using data from the American Men's Internet Survey (2018-2020), we performed a Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to identify patterns in reasons for migration among cisgender gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men (SMM) who born outside the U.S. We used multivariable logistic regression controlling for demographic characteristics to assess class associations with the following in the past 12 months: condomless anal sex (CAS), illicit drug use, marijuana use, HIV testing, and PrEP use. LCA identified six distinct patterns in reasons for migration among the sample (n = 1,657): (1) Family and friends (14%); (2) Financial (17%); (3) Personal freedom related to being gay (10%); (4) Pursuit of opportunities while living openly as SMM (12%); (5) Educational purposes (18%); (6) Not my decision (29%). While HIV testing (range = 57.6-65.4%) and PrEP use (range = 15.6-21.4%) did not vary by class (p > .05 for all), CAS and illicit drug use were significantly different (p < .05). SMM who migrated to pursue opportunities while living openly and whose reasons were not their decision had greater odds of CAS than SMM who migrated for educational purposes (aOR:1.72, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]:1.15-2.59; 1.57, 1.13-2.19, respectively). Reasons for migration among SMM were associated with behaviors that can increase HIV risk, but not testing or PrEP. Push and pull factors related to migration should be considered when developing behavioral HIV interventions for immigrant SMM., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
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- 2024
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16. Predicting salivary cortisol and sexual behavior stigma among MSM in the American Men's Internet Survey 2019.
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Dibble KE, Murray SM, Baral SD, Zlotorzynska M, Wiginton JM, Stephenson R, Edwards OW, Lyons C, Rainey JC, Xue QL, and Sanchez TH
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- Male, Humans, United States, Adult, Homosexuality, Male, Hydrocortisone, Social Stigma, Sexual Behavior, Internet, Sexual and Gender Minorities, HIV Infections
- Abstract
Physiological stress levels in response to sexual behavior stigma among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States (US) are understudied. The current study aims to explore the relationship between sexual behavior stigma and salivary cortisol both overall and stratified by race/ethnicity. If such an association exists, it may suggest that sexual behavior stigma can be physiologically measured or indicated by the presence of heightened salivary cortisol. A subsample of 667 MSM participants from the 2019 American Men's Internet Survey (AMIS; N = 10,129) submitted morning (AM) and evening (PM) saliva cortisol samples using at-home mail-in collection kits. Average daily cortisol and daily cortisol change were calculated; simple linear regressions estimated associations between cortisol measures and sexual behavior stigma characterized in four different ways (ever and recent experience of individual stigma items; average ever and recent experience of three stigma scales: stigma from family and friends, anticipated healthcare stigma, general social stigma). Participants reported a mean age of 36.0 years (SD = 14.9), with most being non-Hispanic white (n = 480, 72.0%), Hispanic (n = 164, 12.3%), or Black/African American (n = 146, 10.9%), and identified as homosexual/gay (n = 562, 84.3%). Reporting ever experiencing healthcare providers gossiping was significantly associated with higher PM cortisol (β = 0.12, p = 0.001) and higher average daily cortisol (β = 0.11, p = 0.004), while reporting ever experiencing police refusing to protect was associated with higher AM cortisol (β = 0.08, p = 0.03) and higher average daily cortisol (β = 0.09, p = 0.02). Recent experiences of stigma were not significant predictors of any measure of cortisol. Measures of salivary cortisol may be used to characterize sexual behavior stigma among MSM populations, however more insight is needed to determine its exact relationship and strength., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)
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- 2023
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17. Intersecting Sexual Behavior and Gender Identity Stigmas Among Transgender Women in the United States: Burden and Associations with Sexual Health.
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Wiginton JM, Maksut JL, Scheim AI, Zlotorzynska M, Sanchez TH, and Baral SD
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- Humans, Female, Male, United States epidemiology, Gender Identity, Social Stigma, Quality of Life, Sexual Behavior, Transgender Persons, Sexual Health, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
In the United States, a context of multiple marginalization shapes sexual health disparities experienced by transgender women. Using data from 396 transgender women with negative or unknown HIV status, we performed exploratory factor analysis on responses to gender identity and sexual behavior stigma items and regressed sexual health outcomes on extracted factors via modified Poisson regression with robust variance estimation. Overall, 97.2% of participants endorsed ≥ 1 gender identity stigma; 67.2% endorsed ≥ 1 sexual behavior stigma; and 66.9% endorsed ≥ 1 of each. Extracted factors included gender-identity social stigma, reflecting experiences related to family, fearfulness in public, and verbal harassment (α = 0.68); gender-identity institutional stigma/violence, reflecting experiences related to healthcare, police interactions, and interpersonal violence (α = 0.73); and global sexual behavior stigma, reflecting experiences related to family, friends, and healthcare, as well as police interactions, fearfulness in public, verbal harassment, and interpersonal violence (α = 0.83). Gender-identity social stigma was significantly, positively associated with testing for HIV and testing for sexually transmitted infections. Gender-identity institutional stigma/violence and global sexual behavior stigma were both significantly, positively associated with condomless anal sex, sex work, testing for HIV, testing for sexually transmitted infections, and use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. Stigma-mitigation remains critical to improve quality of life and sexual health for transgender women in the United States., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
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- 2023
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18. Effects of mode of transportation on PrEP persistence among urban men who have sex with men.
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Sharpe JD, Siegler AJ, Sanchez TH, Guest JL, and Sullivan PS
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- Male, Humans, Homosexuality, Male, Travel, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Travel-Related Illness, Sexual and Gender Minorities, HIV Infections prevention & control, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis
- Abstract
Little is known about the effect of travel-related factors, such as mode of transportation, on retention in PrEP care, or PrEP persistence. We used data from the 2020 American Men's Internet Survey and conducted multilevel logistic regression to estimate the association between mode of transportation used for healthcare access and PrEP persistence among urban gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the U.S. MSM using public transportation were less likely to report PrEP persistence (aOR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.28-0.95) than MSM using private transportation. There were no significant associations between PrEP persistence and using active transportation (aOR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.35-1.29) or multimodal transportation (aOR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.51-1.43) compared to using private transportation. Transportation-related interventions and policies are needed to address structural barriers to accessing PrEP services and to improve PrEP persistence in urban areas.
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- 2023
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19. Targeted Violence as a Risk Factor for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Cisgender Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who have Sex with Men in the United States.
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Wiginton JM, Murray SM, Baral SD, and Sanchez TH
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- Male, Adolescent, Humans, United States epidemiology, Adult, Young Adult, Homosexuality, Male, Cross-Sectional Studies, Sexual Behavior, Violence, Risk Factors, Sexual and Gender Minorities, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control
- Abstract
Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in the United States (US) are disproportionately exposed to interpersonal violence, which carries a high conditional risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and which is often motivated by sexual prejudice. We determined PTSD prevalence by violence attribution (motivated by sexual prejudice or not) and measured PTSD-attribution associations. Using a 2020 nationwide cross-sectional survey of 2,886 GBMSM who reported ever experiencing interpersonal violence, we performed multivariable modified Poisson regressions with robust variance estimators to examine differences in prevalence of current PTSD by how participants attributed the violence (occurring due to one's same-sex practices, not occurring due to one's same-sex practices, or being unsure if it occurred due to one's same-sex practices). Model results are reported as adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Median age was 27 years; 78.8% of participants identified as gay, and 62.2% were non-Hispanic White. Violence was attributed to same-sex practices by 45.8% of participants; 46.3% did not make this attribution, and 7.0% were unsure (0.9% preferred not to answer). Overall, 23.0% screened positive for PTSD, and PTSD prevalence was greater for those who attributed violence to same-sex practices (25.9% [342/1,321]; aPR = 1.55, 95% CI [1.34, 1.79]) and those who were unsure (33.5% [68/203]; aPR = 1.80, 95% CI [1.44, 2.25]) compared to those who did not make the attribution (18.1% [242/1,335]). Age modified this association, with participants 15 to 19 years old who made the attribution being significantly more likely to have PTSD relative to 20+ participants who also made the attribution. In addition to violence-prevention and stigma-mitigation efforts, interventions targeting attribution styles may be useful for violence-exposed GBMSM, especially teenagers.
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- 2023
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20. The Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Care Continuum Among English-Speaking Latino Sexual Minority Men in the United States (2014-2020).
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Lee JJ, Barry MP, Kerani RP, Sanchez TH, and Katz DA
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- Male, Humans, United States, Homosexuality, Male, Cross-Sectional Studies, Hispanic or Latino, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, HIV Infections drug therapy, Sexual and Gender Minorities
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Background: There is limited understanding of the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) care continuum specific to Latino/x gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men (SMM) that encompasses the population residing outside of large metropolitan or urban areas., Setting: We examined trends and characteristics associated with the PrEP care continuum with data from the 2014-2020 cycles of the American Men's Internet Survey, an annual online cross-sectional behavioral survey of cisgender SMM in the United States., Methods: We calculated PrEP continuum outcomes overall and by year among Hispanic/Latino SMM (n = 9010). We used generalized estimating equations with Poisson links to examine (1) temporal trends (2014-2020) in each step of the PrEP continuum and PrEP use in the past year stratified by PrEP eligibility and (2) correlates of each step of the PrEP continuum in 2020 using multivariable models., Results: Among 2283 Latino SMM in 2020, 84% reported PrEP awareness, 30% discussed PrEP with a provider, 15% used PrEP in the past year, and 12% were currently using PrEP. PrEP awareness increased from 52% in 2014 to 84% in 2020; and PrEP use in the past year increased from 4% in 2014 to 15% in 2020. In the multivariable models, age and PrEP eligibility were associated with PrEP use in the past year, and urban-rural classification was associated with current PrEP use., Conclusions: While most of the Latino SMM are aware of PrEP, significant gaps remain in this population in discussing PrEP with a provider and using PrEP that require tailored strategies to enhance access to HIV prevention services., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2023
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21. Adolescents Living With or at Risk for HIV: A Pooled Descriptive Analysis of Studies From the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions.
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DeMonte J, McCumber M, Slye N, Amico KR, Arnold EM, Comulada WS, Hayati Rezvan P, Hightow-Weidman LB, Muessig KE, Nichols SL, Nielsen-Saines K, Sanchez TH, Shook-Sa BE, Swendeman D, Valencia RK, and Hudgens MG
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- Adolescent, Humans, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States epidemiology, Young Adult, White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Adolescent Medicine, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, HIV Infections diagnosis
- Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to describe the cohort of Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) research program participants and evaluate whether the ATN's recently completed 5-year cycle recruited study participants who parallel the populations most impacted by HIV in the United States., Methods: Harmonized measures across ATN studies collected at baseline were aggregated for participants aged 13-24 years. Pooled means and proportions stratified by HIV status (at risk for or living with HIV) were calculated using unweighted averages of study-specific aggregate data. Medians were estimated using a weighted median of medians method. Public use 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance data for state-level new HIV diagnoses and HIV prevalence among US youth aged 13-24 years were obtained for use as reference populations for ATN at-risk youth and youth living with HIV (YLWH), respectively., Results: Data from 3,185 youth at-risk for HIV and 542 YLWH were pooled from 21 ATN study phases conducted across the United States. Among ATN studies tailored to at-risk youth, a higher proportion of participants were White and a lower proportion were Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx compared to youth newly diagnosed with HIV in the United States in 2019. Participants in ATN studies tailored to YLWH were demographically similar to YLWH in the United States., Discussion: The development of data harmonization guidelines for ATN research activities facilitated this cross-network pooled analysis. These findings suggest the ATN's YLWH are representative, but that future studies of at-risk youth should prioritize recruitment strategies to enroll more participants from African American and Hispanic/Latinx populations., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2023
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22. Impacts of COVID-19 on sexual behaviors, HIV prevention and care among men who have sex with men: A comparison of New York City and Metropolitan Atlanta.
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Goodreau SM, Delaney KP, Zhu W, Smith DK, Mann LM, Sanchez TH, Hamilton DT, and Hoover KW
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- Male, Humans, Homosexuality, Male, New York City epidemiology, Pandemics prevention & control, Sexual Behavior, Sexual and Gender Minorities, COVID-19 epidemiology, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome epidemiology, HIV Infections drug therapy, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis methods
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The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted HIV prevention, care, and transmission opportunities. This likely varies by geography, given differences in COVID-19 burden and mandates over time, and by age, given different likelihoods of severe COVID-19 consequences. We consider changes in sexual behavior, HIV testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use and antiretroviral therapy (ART) use among men who have sex with men (MSM) over the first year of the COVID-19 epidemic, comparing the Atlanta metropolitan area and New York City (NYC). We use two continuous time-series datasets and one panel dataset, assessing changes over time within city and comparing across cities, and disaggregate major findings by age. For clinical results, ART use showed by far the smallest reductions, and testing the largest. Disruptions occurred concurrently between cities, despite the major wave of COVID-19, and government mandates, occurring later in Atlanta. Test positivity increased in NYC only. In both cities, younger MSM saw the greatest reductions in testing and PrEP use, but the smallest in sexual behavior. Reduced clinical service usage would be unconcerning if stemming solely from reductions in exposure; however, the patterns for young MSM suggest that the COVID-19 epidemic likely generated new conditions for increased HIV transmission, especially in this cohort., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.)
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- 2023
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23. Examining Geographical Differences in the HIV Care Continuum Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Mexico.
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Algarin AB, Lara MV, Chapin-Bardales J, Baruch-Dominguez R, Sanchez TH, Hernandez-Avila M, and Smith LR
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- Male, Humans, Homosexuality, Male psychology, Mexico, Anti-Retroviral Agents therapeutic use, Continuity of Patient Care, HIV Infections epidemiology, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
We analyzed data collected by the Encuesta de Sexo Entre Hombres study from 15,233 Mexican men who have sex with men (MSM) between May-July 2017 to examine differences in the HIV care continuum. Data were stratified into 6 geographical regions. Prevalence ratios assessed associations between region and care outcomes. Among participants never testing HIV positive (n = 13,583), 66.1% had ever been tested and 43.0% in the past year. Among HIV-positive persons (n = 1,650), 83.9% reported counseling post-diagnosis, 61.9% timely linkage to care, 42.4% timely CD4/viral load results, 38.2% timely access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 87.7% were currently on ART. The Ciudad de México /Estado de México region had significantly superior care continuum outcomes in ever and recent HIV testing, linkage to care, CD4/viral load results, and current ART use. Understanding geographical variations in HIV care for MSM in Mexico is one important step to inform efforts for ending HIV/AIDS by 2030 in Latin America., (© 2022. The Author(s).)
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- 2023
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24. Engaging Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men for HIV Testing and Prevention Services Through Technology: Protocol for the iSTAMP Comparative Effectiveness Trial.
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Dana R, Sullivan S, MacGowan RJ, Chavez PR, Wall KM, Sanchez TH, Stephenson R, Hightow-Weidman L, Johnson JA, Smith A, Sharma A, Jones J, Hannah M, Trigg M, Luo W, Caldwell J, and Sullivan PS
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Background: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly Black or African American MSM (BMSM) and Hispanic or Latino MSM (HLMSM), continue to be disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic in the United States. Previous HIV self-testing programs have yielded high testing rates, although these studies predominantly enrolled White, non-Hispanic MSM. Mobile health tools can support HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. This protocol details an implementation study of mailing free HIV self-tests (HIVSTs) nested within a randomized controlled trial designed to assess the benefit of a mobile phone app for increasing the uptake of HIV prevention and other social services., Objective: This study was a comparative effectiveness trial of innovative recruitment and testing promotion strategies intended to effectively reach cisgender BMSM and HLMSM. We evaluated the use of a mobile app for increasing access to care., Methods: Study development began with individual and group consultations that elicited feedback from 3 core groups: HIV care practitioners and researchers, HIV service organization leaders from study states, and BMSM and HLMSM living in the study states. Upon completion of the formative qualitative work, participants from 11 states, based on the observed areas of highest rate of new HIV diagnoses among Black and Hispanic MSM, were recruited through social networking websites and smartphone apps. After eligibility was verified, participants consented and were randomized to the intervention arm (access to the Know@Home mobile app) or the control arm (referral to web resources). We provided all participants with HIVSTs. The evaluation of the efficacy of a mobile phone app to support linkage to posttest prevention services that included sexually transmitted infection testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis initiation, antiretroviral treatment, and acquisition of condoms and compatible lubricants has been planned. Data on these outcomes were obtained from several sources, including HIVST-reporting surveys, the 4-month follow-up survey, laboratory analyses of dried blood spot cards returned by the participant, and data obtained from the state health department surveillance systems. Where possible, relevant subgroup analyses were performed., Results: During the formative development phase, 9 consultations were conducted: 6 in-depth individual discussions and 3 group consultations. From February 2020 through February 2021, we enrolled 2093 MSM in the randomized controlled trial from 11 states, 1149 BMSM and 944 HLMSM., Conclusions: This study was designed and implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment strategies to reach BMSM and HMSM and of a mobile app with regard to linkage to HIV prevention or treatment services. Data were also obtained to allow for the analyses of cost and cost-effectiveness related to study enrollment, HIV testing uptake, identification of previously undiagnosed HIV, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and linkage to HIV prevention or treatment services., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04219878); https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04219878., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/43414., (©Ruth Dana, Stephen Sullivan, Robin J MacGowan, Pollyanna R Chavez, Kristin M Wall, Travis H Sanchez, Rob Stephenson, Lisa Hightow-Weidman, Jeffrey A Johnson, Amanda Smith, Akshay Sharma, Jeb Jones, Marissa Hannah, Monica Trigg, Wei Luo, Joanna Caldwell, Patrick Sean Sullivan. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 06.01.2023.)
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- 2023
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25. Patient sexuality disclosure experience and associations with clinical sexual health outcomes among HIV-negative men who have sex with men in Mexico.
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Algarin AB, Wiginton JM, Sanchez TH, Hernandez-Avila M, Baruch-Dominguez R, and Smith LR
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- Homosexuality, Male, Humans, Male, Mexico, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Sexual Behavior, HIV Infections epidemiology, Papillomavirus Infections, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
Many men who have sex with men (MSM) do not disclose their sexuality to their healthcare provider, despite potential health benefits. Data from the 2017 Encuesta de Sexo Entre Hombres online survey of 13,277 HIV-negative or unknown status MSM in Mexico were used to explore MSM patients' sexuality disclosure experience on sexual health outcomes using multivariable Poisson models with robust variance estimation to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR). Sexual health outcomes included Hepatitis B (HepB) and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, and lifetime and past year HIV testing. Overall, 53.9% (n/N) disclosed their sexuality to their healthcare provider, and of those 6.4%, 62.9%, and 30.7% reported a negative, neutral, or positive disclosure experience, respectively. In comparison to no disclosure, neutral and positive disclosure experiences were associated with HepB vaccination (aPR[95% Confidence Interval (95% CI)] = 1.17[1.09, 1.25], p < 0.001; aPR[95% CI] = 1.35[1.25, 1.46], p < 0.001, respectively) and positive disclosure experiences were associated with HPV vaccination (aPR[95% CI] = 1.46[1.24, 1.71], p < 0.001). Those who disclosed their sexual behavior were more likely than those who did not disclose their sexual behavior to have received an HIV test in their lifetime (negative: aPR[95% CI] = 1.51[1.43, 1.60], p < 0.001; neutral: aPR[95% CI] = 1.61[1.56, 1.66], p < 0.001; positive: aPR[95% CI] = 1.64[1.58, 1.69], p < 0.001) and an HIV test in the past year (negative: aPR[95% CI] = 1.89[1.70, 2.10], p < 0.001; neutral: aPR[95% CI] = 2.09[1.98, 2.20], p < 0.001; positive: aPR[95% CI] = 2.24[2.12, 2.37], p < 0.001). There is a need to implement trainings for healthcare providers that focus on sexual health risk assessments and creating a space that encourages MSM patients and healthcare providers to discuss sexual health., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest No conflicts of interest to report., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)
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- 2022
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26. Association between the geographic accessibility of PrEP and PrEP use among MSM in nonurban areas.
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Sharpe JD, Sanchez TH, Siegler AJ, Guest JL, and Sullivan PS
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- Homosexuality, Male, Humans, Male, United States epidemiology, Epidemics, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
Purpose: The US HIV epidemic has become a public health issue that increasingly affects men who have sex with men (MSM), including those residing in nonurban areas. Increasing access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in nonurban areas will prevent HIV acquisition and could address the growing HIV epidemic. No studies have quantified the associations between PrEP access and PrEP use among nonurban MSM., Methods: Using 2020 PrEP Locator data and American Men's Internet Survey data, we conducted multilevel log-binomial regression to examine the association between area-level geographic accessibility of PrEP-providing clinics and individual-level PrEP use among MSM residing in nonurban areas in the United States., Findings: Of 4,792 PrEP-eligible nonurban MSM, 20.1% resided in a PrEP desert (defined as more than a 30-minute drive to access PrEP), and 15.2% used PrEP in the past 12 months. In adjusted models, suburban MSM residing in PrEP deserts were less likely to use PrEP in the past year (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.15, 0.80) than suburban MSM not residing in PrEP deserts, and other nonurban MSM residing in PrEP deserts were less likely to use PrEP in the past year (aPR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.60, 0.95) than other nonurban MSM not residing in PrEP deserts., Conclusions: Structural interventions designed to decrease barriers to PrEP access that are unique to nonurban areas in the United States are needed to address the growing HIV epidemic in these communities., (© 2022 National Rural Health Association.)
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- 2022
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27. Metrics of sexual behavior stigma among cisgender men who have sex with men in Mexico: exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.
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Wiginton JM, Murray SM, Algarin AB, Baral SD, Sanchez TH, and Smith LR
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- Benchmarking, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Homosexuality, Male, Humans, Male, Mexico epidemiology, Sexual Behavior, Social Stigma, HIV Infections epidemiology, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
Cisgender gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in Mexico experience disparities in sexual health outcomes, perhaps most notably in HIV prevalence, HIV testing and status awareness, and condom use. Sexual behavior stigma, underpinned by socio-structural factors specific to Mexico (e.g., machismo), uniquely shapes these sexual health disparities. However, few reliable, valid measures are available to document, track, and ultimately mitigate sexual behavior stigma in this context. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on responses to a 13-item sexual behavior stigma scale from 15,681 MSM recruited online across Mexico. Associations with extracted factors were tested to assess construct validity. Three subscales were identified in exploratory factor analysis and validated in confirmatory factor analysis: "stigma from family and friends" (α = 0.65), "anticipated healthcare stigma" (α = 0.84), and "general social stigma" (α = 0.70). External construct validity was indicated through each subscale's strong association (all p < 0.001) with perceived community intolerance of MSM and perceived community discrimination toward people living with HIV. These subscales show promise as reliable, valid measures for assessing sexual behavior stigma among MSM in Mexico, and as tools for documenting and tracking sexual behavior stigma trends, comparing regional burdens of sexual behavior stigma, and tracking the progress of stigma-mitigation interventions among MSM in Mexico. Future research is needed to understand the extent to which each subscale is differentially associated with sexual (and other) health outcomes, which can inform the development and implementation of uniquely tailored stigma-mitigation, HIV-prevention, HIV-care, and other needed interventions for MSM in Mexico., (© 2022. The Author(s).)
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- 2022
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28. Physical Violence and Psychological Distress Among Asian and Pacific Islander Sexual Minority Men in the United States Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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Lee JJ, Katz DA, Kerani RP, Lerner JE, Baral SD, and Sanchez TH
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- Asian psychology, Humans, Male, Pandemics, Physical Abuse, United States epidemiology, COVID-19, Psychological Distress, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
Purpose: This study examined differences in self-reported physical violence and psychological distress among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) sexual minority men (SMM) before and during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (2019 vs. 2020). Methods: We used data from 1127 AAPI SMM who completed the 2019 (August 2019-December 2019) and 2020 (August 2020-January 2021) cycles of the American Men's Internet Survey (AMIS). We assessed differences in experiencing physical violence and serious psychological distress by year of survey completion. We used Poisson regression with robust variance estimation to examine whether physical violence was associated with serious psychological distress before and during COVID-19. Multivariate analyses adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and the interaction between year and violence. Results: A greater percentage of AAPI SMM had serious psychological distress in 2020 during the pandemic relative to 2019 before the pandemic (56.6% vs. 35.64%, p < 0.001). AAPI SMM who experienced physical violence in the last 6 months were more likely to experience serious psychological distress than those who never experienced physical violence. The association between violence and psychological distress among AAPI SMM was not significantly different before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Violence against AAPI SMM in the United States is widespread. Although we did not find significant differences in exposure to physical violence among AAPI SMM before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in serious psychological distress during the pandemic among AAPI SMM may indicate heightened need of mental health services.
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- 2022
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29. Gay Dating App Users Support and Utilize Sexual Health Features on Apps.
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Hecht J, Zlotorzynska M, Sanchez TH, and Wohlfeiler D
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- Homosexuality, Male, Humans, Male, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Partners, HIV Infections, Mobile Applications, Sexual Health, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
Men who have sex with men (MSM) frequently meet sex partners through dating apps. Research has demonstrated an association between app use and greater number of sex partners and STIs, but dating apps also pose an opportunity for intervention. By advocating for sexual health features on dating apps, Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) aims to increase communication about sexual health among app users. In partnership with Emory University, BHOC added questions to an annual survey of MSM. The questions assessed awareness and uptake of profile fields and sexual health features on the dating apps. Among survey participants, 67% (6737/10,129) reported using dating apps to meet a partner in the past year. Among this group, 77% (4993/6525) reported awareness of sexual health features. 61% of app users (2866/4721) who were aware of them reported using one or more sexual health features. BHOC continues to advocate for increased uptake of these features., (© 2022. The Author(s).)
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- 2022
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30. Metabolic state of human blastocysts measured by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy.
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Venturas M, Shah JS, Yang X, Sanchez TH, Conway W, Sakkas D, and Needleman DJ
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- Adenine, Animals, Embryo Culture Techniques methods, Embryonic Development, Humans, Mammals, Microscopy, Fluorescence, Aneuploidy, Blastocyst metabolism
- Abstract
Study Question: Can non-invasive metabolic imaging via fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) detect variations in metabolic profiles between discarded human blastocysts?, Summary Answer: FLIM revealed extensive variations in the metabolic state of discarded human blastocysts associated with blastocyst development over 36 h, the day after fertilization and blastocyst developmental stage, as well as metabolic heterogeneity within individual blastocysts., What Is Known Already: Mammalian embryos undergo large changes in metabolism over the course of preimplantation development. Embryo metabolism has long been linked to embryo viability, suggesting its potential utility in ART to aid in selecting high quality embryos. However, the metabolism of human embryos remains poorly characterized due to a lack of non-invasive methods to measure their metabolic state., Study Design, Size, Duration: We conducted a prospective observational study. We used 215 morphologically normal human embryos from 137 patients that were discarded and donated for research under an approved institutional review board protocol. These embryos were imaged using metabolic imaging via FLIM to measure the autofluorescence of two central coenzymes, nicotinamide adenine (phosphate) dinucleotide (NAD(P)H) and flavine adenine dinucleotide (FAD+), which are essential for cellular respiration and glycolysis., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Here, we used non-invasive FLIM to measure the metabolic state of human blastocysts. We first studied spatial patterns in the metabolic state within human blastocysts and the association of the metabolic state of the whole blastocysts with stage of expansion, day of development since fertilization and morphology. We explored the sensitivity of this technique in detecting metabolic variations between blastocysts from the same patient and between patients. Next, we explored whether FLIM can quantitatively measure metabolic changes through human blastocyst expansion and hatching via time-lapse imaging. For all test conditions, the level of significance was set at P < 0.05 after correction for multiple comparisons using Benjamini-Hochberg's false discovery rate., Main Results and the Role of Chance: We found that FLIM is sensitive enough to detect significant metabolic differences between blastocysts. We found that metabolic variations between blastocyst are partially explained by both the time since fertilization and their developmental expansion stage (P < 0.05), but not their morphological grade. Substantial metabolic variations between blastocysts from the same patients remain, even after controlling for these factors. We also observe significant metabolic heterogeneity within individual blastocysts, including between the inner cell mass and the trophectoderm, and between the portions of hatching blastocysts within and without the zona pellucida (P < 0.05). And finally, we observed that the metabolic state of human blastocysts continuously varies over time., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: Although we observed significant variations in metabolic parameters, our data are taken from human blastocysts that were discarded and donated for research and we do not know their clinical outcome. Moreover, the embryos used in this study are a mixture of aneuploid, euploid and embryos of unknown ploidy., Wider Implications of the Findings: This work reveals novel aspects of the metabolism of human blastocysts and suggests that FLIM is a promising approach to assess embryo viability through non-invasive, quantitative measurements of their metabolism. These results further demonstrate that FLIM can provide biologically relevant information that may be valuable for the assessment of embryo quality., Study Funding/competing Interest(s): Supported by the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator Grant at Harvard University. Becker and Hickl GmbH and Boston Electronics sponsored research with the loaning of equipment for FLIM. D.J.N. is an inventor on patent US20170039415A1., Trial Registration Number: N/A., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)
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- 2022
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31. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) detects differences in metabolic signatures between euploid and aneuploid human blastocysts.
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Shah JS, Venturas M, Sanchez TH, Penzias AS, Needleman DJ, and Sakkas D
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- Aneuploidy, Blastocyst metabolism, Female, Flavin-Adenine Dinucleotide metabolism, Humans, Microscopy, NAD metabolism, Oxidoreductases metabolism, Pregnancy, Preimplantation Diagnosis methods
- Abstract
Study Question: Can non-invasive imaging with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) detect metabolic differences in euploid versus aneuploid human blastocysts?, Summary Answer: FLIM has identified significant metabolic differences between euploid and aneuploid blastocysts., What Is Known Already: Prior studies have demonstrated that FLIM can detect metabolic differences in mouse oocytes and embryos and in discarded human blastocysts., Study Design, Size, Duration: This was a prospective observational study from August 2019 to February 2020. Embryo metabolic state was assessed using FLIM to measure the autofluorescence metabolic factors nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase together with nicotinamide adenine phosphate dinucleotide dehydrogenase (NAD(P)H) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Eight metabolic FLIM parameters were obtained from each blastocyst (four for NAD(P)H and four for FAD): short (T1) and long (T2) fluorescence lifetime, fluorescence intensity (I) and fraction of the molecules engaged with enzymes (F). The redox ratio (NAD(P)H-I)/(FAD-I) was also calculated for each image., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: This study was performed at a single academically affiliated centre where there were 156 discarded frozen blastocysts (n = 17 euploids; 139 aneuploids) included. Ploidy status was determined by pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A). Discarded human blastocysts were compared using single FLIM parameters. Additionally, inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) were also evaluated. Multilevel models were used for analysis. A post-hoc correction used Benjamini-Hochberg's false discovery rate, at a q-value of 0.05., Main Results and the Role of Chance: Comparing euploid (n = 17) versus aneuploid (n = 139) embryos, a significant difference was seen in NAD(P)H-F (P < 0.04), FAD-I (P < 0.04) and redox ratio (P < 0.05). Euploid ICM (n = 15) versus aneuploid ICM (n = 119) also demonstrated significantly different signatures in NAD(P)H-F (P < 0.009), FAD-I (P < 0.03) and redox ratio (P < 0.03). Similarly, euploid TE (n = 15) versus aneuploid TE (n = 119) had significant differences in NAD(P)H-F (P < 0.0001) and FAD-I (P < 0.04)., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: This study utilized discarded human blastocysts, and these embryos may differ metabolically from non-discarded human embryos. The blastocysts analysed were vitrified after PGT-A biopsy and it is unclear how the vitrification process may affect the metabolic profile of blastocysts. Our study was also limited by the small number of rare donated euploid embryos available for analysis. Euploid embryos are very rarely discarded due to their value to patients trying to conceive, which limits their use for research purposes. However, we controlled for the imbalance with the bootstrap resampling analysis., Wider Implications of the Findings: These findings provide preliminary evidence that FLIM may be a useful non-invasive clinical tool to assist in identifying the ploidy status of embryos., Study Funding/competing Interest(s): The study was supported by the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator Grant at Harvard University. Becker and Hickl GmbH and Boston Electronics sponsored research with the loaning of equipment for FLIM. D.J.N. is an inventor on patent US20170039415A1. There are no other conflicts of interest to declare., Trial Registration Number: N/A., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)
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32. Publisher Correction To: Disclosure of same-sex practices and experiences of healthcare stigma among cisgender men who have sex with men in five sub-Saharan African countries.
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Wiginton JM, Murray SM, Poku O, Augustinavicius J, Jackman KP, Kane J, Billong SC, Diouf D, Ba I, Mothopeng T, Njindam IM, Turpin G, Tamoufe U, Sithole B, Zlotorzynska M, Sanchez TH, and Baral SD
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- 2022
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33. Disclosure of same-sex practices and experiences of healthcare stigma among cisgender men who have sex with men in five sub-Saharan African countries.
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Wiginton JM, Murray SM, Poku O, Augustinavicius J, Jackman KP, Kane J, Billong SC, Diouf D, Ba I, Mothopeng T, Njindam IM, Turpin G, Tamoufe U, Sithole B, Zlotorzynska M, Sanchez TH, and Baral SD
- Subjects
- Delivery of Health Care, Disclosure, Homosexuality, Male, Humans, Male, Sexual Behavior, Social Stigma, HIV Infections prevention & control, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
Background: For men who have sex with men (MSM) across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), disclosure of same-sex practices to family and healthcare workers (HCWs) can facilitate access to HIV prevention services and support, but can also lead to experiences of stigma., Methods: We performed mixed-effects regressions on pooled data from MSM in Cameroon, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Lesotho, and eSwatini to assess associations between disclosure and sexual behavior stigma in healthcare contexts; we used logistic regressions to analyze country-specific data., Results: Compared to participants who had not disclosed to either family or HCWs, those who had disclosed only to family were more likely to have been gossiped about by HCWs (aOR = 1.70, CI = 1.18, 2.45); the association between having disclosed to family and having felt mistreated in a health center approached, but did not achieve, statistical significance (aOR = 1.56, CI = 0.94, 2.59). Those who had disclosed only to HCWs were more likely to have feared to seek health services (aOR = 1.60, CI = 1.14, 2.25), avoided health services (aOR = 1.74, CI = 1.22, 2.50), and felt mistreated in a health center (aOR = 2.62, CI = 1.43, 4.81). Those who had disclosed to both were more likely to have feared to seek health services (aOR = 1.71, CI = 1.16, 2.52), avoided health services (aOR = 1.59, CI = 1.04, 2.42), been gossiped about by HCWs (aOR = 3.78, CI = 2.38, 5.99), and felt mistreated in a health center (aOR = 3.39, CI = 1.86, 6.20). Country-specific analyses suggested that data from Cameroon drove several of these associations., Conclusions: Research to determine the factors driving disclosure's differential effect on healthcare stigma across contexts is needed. Ultimately, supportive environments enabling safe disclosure is critical to understanding HIV-acquisition risks and informing differentiated HIV-prevention, treatment, and testing services for MSM across SSA., (© 2021. The Author(s).)
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- 2021
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34. A Behavioral Cascade of HIV Seroadaptation Among US Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Era of PrEP and U = U.
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Goodreau SM, Maloney KM, Sanchez TH, Morris M, Janulis P, and Jenness SM
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- Condoms, HIV Serosorting, Homosexuality, Male, Humans, Male, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Partners, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
Seroadaptive behaviors help reduce HIV risk for some men who have sex with men (MSM), and have been well documented across MSM populations. Advancements in biomedical prevention have changed the contexts in which seroadaptive behaviors occur. We thus sought to estimate and compare the prevalence of four stages of the "seroadaptive cascade" by PrEP use in the recent era: knowledge of own serostatus, knowledge of partner serostatus; serosorting (matching by status), and condomless anal intercourse. Serosorting overall appeared to remain common, especially with casual and one-time partners. Although PrEP use did not impact status discussion, it did impact serosorting and the likelihood of having condomless anal intercourse. For respondents not diagnosed with HIV and not on PrEP, condomless anal intercourse occurred in just over half of relationships with HIV-positive partners who were not on treatment. Biomedical prevention has intertwined with rather than supplanted seroadaptive behaviors, while contexts involving neither persist., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
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- 2021
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35. The spatiotemporal distribution of pre-exposure prophylaxis accessibility in the United States, 2016-2020.
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Sharpe JD, Guest JL, Siegler AJ, Sanchez TH, and Sullivan PS
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- Census Tract, Health Services Accessibility, Humans, Spatial Analysis, United States, Anti-HIV Agents therapeutic use, HIV Infections drug therapy, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis
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Purpose: Residing in areas with little spatial accessibility to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) providers, or PrEP deserts, contributes to low PrEP uptake. This study examines and characterizes the spatial distribution of PrEP accessibility in the United States over time., Methods: We conducted spatial network analyses and geographic mapping to explore the spatiotemporal distribution of persistent PrEP deserts (census tracts with suboptimal accessibility in 2016 and 2020), new PrEP deserts (tracts with suboptimal accessibility in 2020 but not 2016), new PrEP oases (tracts with suboptimal accessibility in 2016 but not 2020), and persistent PrEP oases (tracts with optimal accessibility in 2016 and 2020). We used polytomous logistic regression to determine area-level factors associated with these four spatiotemporal PrEP accessibility types., Results: There was a reduction of 52.8% in the prevalence of 30-minute PrEP deserts from 2016 (28,055 tracts) to 2020 (13,240 tracts) and an increase of 33.5% in 30-minute PrEP oases from 2016 (44,259 tracts) to 2020 (59,074 tracts). Of all tracts, 12,487 (17.3%) were persistent PrEP deserts, 753 (1.0%) were new PrEP deserts, 15,568 (21.5%) were new PrEP oases, and 43,506 (60.1%) were persistent PrEP oases. Overall, persistent PrEP oases were more likely to be of higher socioeconomic status, racially/ethnically diverse, located in urban areas, and located in the Northeast compared with other spatiotemporal PrEP accessibility types, with variation by urbanicity and U.S. Census region., Conclusions: Efforts to improve PrEP accessibility should be especially focused in disadvantaged communities in nonurban areas and the South, Midwest, and West. Monitoring changes in the spatial accessibility of PrEP over time and determining the factors associated with such changes can help to evaluate progress made towards improving PrEP accessibility., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2021
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36. Effects of Condom Use on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission Among Adolescent Sexual Minority Males in the United States: A Mixed Epidemiology and Epidemic Modeling Study.
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Katz DA, Hamilton DT, Rosenthal EM, Wang LY, Dunville RL, Aslam M, Barrios LC, Zlotorzynska M, Sanchez TH, Sullivan PS, Rosenberg ES, and Goodreau SM
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- Adolescent, Condoms, HIV, Humans, Male, Safe Sex, Sexual Behavior, United States epidemiology, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Sexual and Gender Minorities
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Background: We examined condom use patterns and potential population-level effects of a hypothetical condom intervention on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission among adolescent sexual minority males (ASMM)., Methods: Using 3 data sets: national Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2015 to 2017 (YRBS-National), local YRBS data from 8 jurisdictions with sex of partner questions from 2011 to 2017 (YRBS-Trends), and American Men's Internet Survey (AMIS) 2014 to 2017, we assessed associations of condom use with year, age, and race/ethnicity among sexually active ASMM. Using a stochastic agent-based network epidemic model, structured and parameterized based on the above analyses, we calculated the percent of HIV infections averted over 10 years among ASMM ages 13 to 18 years by an intervention that increased condom use by 37% for 5 years and was delivered to 62% of ASMM at age 14 years., Results: In YRBS, 51.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 41.3-62.3%) and 37.9% (95% CI, 32.7-42.3%) reported condom use at last sexual intercourse in national and trend data sets, respectively. In AMIS, 47.3% (95% CI, 44.6-49.9%) reported condom use at last anal sex with a male partner. Temporal trends were not observed in any data set (P > 0.1). Condom use varied significantly by age in YRBS-National (P < 0.0001) and YRBS-Trends (P = 0.032) with 13- to 15-year-olds reporting the lowest use in both; age differences were not significant in AMIS (P = 0.919). Our hypothetical intervention averted a mean of 9.0% (95% simulation interval, -5.4% to 21.2%) of infections among ASMM., Conclusions: Condom use among ASMM is low and appears to have remained stable during 2011 to 2017. Modeling suggests that condom use increases, consistent with previous interventions, have potential to avert 1 in 11 new HIV infections among ASMM., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: None declared., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association.)
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- 2021
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37. Transgender Women's Internet Survey and Testing: Protocol and Key Indicators Report.
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Zlotorzynska M, Sanchez TH, Scheim AI, Lyons CE, Maksut JL, Wiginton JM, and Baral SD
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Purpose: There is a need for ongoing behavioral surveillance of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk among transgender women, using assessments adapted to this population. We therefore developed and piloted the Transgender Women's Internet Survey and Testing (TWIST) study, a cross-sectional behavioral survey of transgender women in the United States coupled with remote biospecimen collection and testing. Methods: Participants age 15+ were recruited by using social media advertisements. Participants were eligible to take the survey if they reported male sex at birth, identified as female or as a transgender woman, resided in the United States, and reported ever having oral, vaginal, or anal sex. We examined a number of behavioral indicators by age, county population density, and medical gender affirmation treatment, using multivariable regression modeling. A sample of respondents was invited to receive a home biospecimen collection kit for HIV/STI testing. Results: The 401 participants were mainly non-Hispanic white and younger than 25 years. Self-reported HIV prevalence was 1.3% (5/401), and almost half (47.1%, 189/401) did not know their HIV status. Receiving medical gender affirmation was strongly associated with past-year HIV and STI testing, independent of general health care engagement. Of the 155 participants invited to receive home biospecimen collection kits, 48 (31.0%) consented and of those, 21 (43.8%) returned specimens for testing. Conclusion: This pilot study successfully reached its recruitment target and generated useful behavioral measures from an online sample of transgender women. We anticipate that online recruitment combined with self-collection of biospecimens will serve as an innovative and scalable strategy for ongoing monitoring of HIV/STI behavioral trends among U.S. transgender women., Competing Interests: No competing financial interests exist., (Copyright 2021, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.)
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- 2021
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38. HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection Epidemic Potential of Networks of Men Who Have Sex With Men in Two Cities.
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Anderson EJ, Weiss KM, Morris MM, Sanchez TH, Prasad P, and Jenness SM
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- Cities, Cross-Sectional Studies, Homosexuality, Male, Humans, Male, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Partners, Epidemics, HIV Infections epidemiology, Sexual and Gender Minorities, Sexually Transmitted Diseases epidemiology
- Abstract
Background: The speed with which a pathogen circulates in a sexual network is a function of network connectivity. Cross-sectional connectivity is a function of network features like momentary degree and assortative mixing. Temporal connectivity is driven by partner acquisition rates. The forward-reachable path (FRP) has been proposed as a summary measure of these two aspects of transmission potential. We use empirical data from San Francisco and Atlanta to estimate the generative parameters of the FRP and compare results to the HIV/sexually transmitted infection epidemics in each city., Methods: We used temporal exponential random graph models to estimate the generative parameters for each city's dynamic sexual network from survey data. We then simulated stochastic dynamic networks from the fitted models and calculated the FRP for each realization, overall, and stratified by partnership type and demographics., Results: The overall mean and median paths were higher in San Francisco than in Atlanta. The overall paths for each city were greater than the sum of the paths in each individual partnership network. In the casual partnership network, the mean path was highest in the youngest age group and lowest in the oldest age group, despite the fact that the youngest group had the lowest mean momentary degree and past-year partner counts., Conclusions: The FRP by age group revealed the additional utility of the measure beyond the temporal and cross-sectional network connectivity measures. Other nonnetwork factors are still necessary to infer total epidemic potential for any specific pathogen., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2021
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39. Online recruitment of youth for mHealth studies.
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Zlotorzynska M, Bauermeister JA, Golinkoff JM, Lin W, Sanchez TH, and Hightow-Weidman L
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Background: Social networking sites and apps have emerged as an opportunity to engage in research young men who have sex with men (YMSM) at risk of HIV infection who may not be otherwise reached by in-person recruitment efforts. This paper highlights lessons learned, best practices and on-going recruitment challenges in the iTech network of the NIH Adolescent Trials Network for HIV Interventions., Methods: Recruitment was conducted for four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mHealth HIV prevention interventions for YMSM living in 10 US cities. Advertising was purchased on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Grindr. Users who clicked on banner ads were taken directly to a study-specific eligibility screener and if eligible, were asked to provide contact information for follow-up by respective study site staff. Ad and screening metrics (impressions, clicks, cost per click (CPC), click-through rate (CTR), number screened, number eligible, number who provided contact information and cost per eligible contact) were compared across platforms, studies and geographic areas (where available). Screening metrics were also calculated for in-person recruitment efforts., Results: Grindr and Snapchat ads produced the highest CTRs as compared to Facebook ads. However, these ads had the lowest proportions of users who initiated eligibility screeners and ultimately Facebook ads yielded the lowest cost per eligible contact across studies. Instagram ads yielded the highest proportions of eligible contacts who were racial/ethnic minorities and under the age of 18. Geographic variability in cost per eligible contact was observed for studies with identical eligibility criteria running concurrently in different regions, driven by both advertising costs and the screening and eligibility rates. Despite lower eligibility rates, the total numbers of eligible contacts were higher for online advertising campaigns, as compared to other recruitment efforts, for all studies except P3. Ads recruiting for P3 had the highest cost per eligible contact, likely due to this study having the most stringent eligibility criteria of the studies described., Conclusions: We implemented a successful online advertising strategy to recruit YMSM at high risk for HIV infection into four RCTs of mHealth interventions. This report provides a framework for evaluation of data from future online recruitment efforts across platforms and geographic areas, regardless of inevitable changes in the digital marketing space., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/mhealth-20-64). The series “Technology-based Interventions in HIV Prevention and Care Continuum among American Youth” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. LHW served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series. LHW reports grants from NICHD, during the conduct of the study. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 mHealth. All rights reserved.)
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- 2021
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40. Understanding disparities in viral suppression among Black MSM living with HIV in Atlanta Georgia.
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Sullivan PS, Knox J, Jones J, Taussig J, Valentine Graves M, Millett G, Luisi N, Hall E, Sanchez TH, Del Rio C, Kelley C, Rosenberg ES, and Guest JL
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- Adolescent, Adult, Cohort Studies, Georgia epidemiology, HIV Infections ethnology, HIV Infections virology, Health Status Disparities, Homosexuality, Male ethnology, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Residence Characteristics, Viral Load, Young Adult, Black or African American, Black People statistics & numerical data, HIV Infections drug therapy, Healthcare Disparities ethnology, Homosexuality, Male statistics & numerical data, White People psychology
- Abstract
Introduction: Due to factors associated with structural racism, Black men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV are less likely to be virally suppressed compared to white MSM. Most of these data come from clinical cohorts and modifiable reasons for these racial disparities need to be defined in order to intervene on these inequities. Therefore, we examined factors associated with racial disparities in baseline viral suppression in a community-based cohort of Black and white MSM living with HIV in Atlanta, GA., Methods: We conducted an observational cohort of Black and white MSM living with HIV infection in Atlanta. Enrolment occurred from June 2016 to June 2017 and men were followed for 24 months; laboratory and behavioural survey data were collected at 12 and 24 months after enrolment. Explanatory factors for racial disparities in viral suppression included sociodemographics and psychosocial variables. Poisson regression models with robust error variance were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) for Black/white differences in viral suppression. Factors that diminished the PR for race by ≥5% were considered to meaningfully attenuate the racial disparity and were included in a multivariable model., Results: Overall, 26% (104/398) of participants were not virally suppressed at baseline. Lack of viral suppression was significantly more prevalent among Black MSM (33%; 69/206) than white MSM (19%; 36/192) (crude Prevalence Ratio (PR) = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1 to 2.5). The age-adjusted Black/white PR was diminished by controlling for: ART coverage (12% decrease), housing stability (7%), higher income (6%) and marijuana use (6%). In a multivariable model, these factors cumulatively mitigated the PR for race by 21% (adjusted PR = 1.1 [95% CI: 0.8 to 1.6])., Conclusions: Relative to white MSM, Black MSM living with HIV in Atlanta were less likely to be virally suppressed. This disparity was explained by several factors, many of which should be targeted for structural, policy and individual-level interventions to reduce racial disparities., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of the International AIDS Society published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International AIDS Society.)
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- 2021
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41. Gender identity and sexual behavior stigmas, severe psychological distress, and suicidality in an online sample of transgender women in the United States.
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Maksut JL, Sanchez TH, Wiginton JM, Scheim AI, Logie CH, Zlotorzynska M, Lyons CE, and Baral SD
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- Adolescent, Adult, Female, Gender Identity, Humans, Male, Prevalence, Risk Factors, Sexual Behavior, Suicide psychology, Suicide, Attempted statistics & numerical data, Surveys and Questionnaires, Transgender Persons statistics & numerical data, Young Adult, Mental Health statistics & numerical data, Psychological Distress, Social Stigma, Suicide statistics & numerical data, Transsexualism psychology
- Abstract
Purpose: The objective of this study is to (1) quantify burden of perceived, anticipated, and enacted gender identity (GI) and sexual behavior (SB) stigmas and (2) explore associations between GI and SB stigmas with key mental health factors among transgender women in the United States., Methods: We estimated associations between GI and SB stigmas with severe psychological distress, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt using cross-sectional data from the Transgender Women's Internet Survey and Testing study from March to April, 2019. Modified Poisson regression produced prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals for severe psychological distress, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt with GI and SB stigma items individually, as well as the GI and SB stigma items treated as two scales., Results: Of 381 transgender women, 52% experienced severe psychological distress in the past month, whereas 59.3% and 13.12% reported suicide ideation and attempt in the past year, respectively. In adjusted models, GI and SB stigma scales were significantly, positively associated with severe psychological distress, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt., Conclusions: Continued training for providers in trans-competent mental health care and the development of newer engagement and delivery strategies for stigma mitigation interventions are needed., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2020
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42. A Data Visualization and Dissemination Resource to Support HIV Prevention and Care at the Local Level: Analysis and Uses of the AIDSVu Public Data Resource.
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Sullivan PS, Woodyatt C, Koski C, Pembleton E, McGuinness P, Taussig J, Ricca A, Luisi N, Mokotoff E, Benbow N, Castel AD, Do AN, Valdiserri RO, Bradley H, Jaggi C, O'Farrell D, Filipowicz R, Siegler AJ, Curran J, and Sanchez TH
- Subjects
- Humans, Data Visualization, HIV Infections prevention & control, Public Health Surveillance methods
- Abstract
Background: AIDSVu is a public resource for visualizing HIV surveillance data and other population-based information relevant to HIV prevention, care, policy, and impact assessment., Objective: The site, AIDSVu.org, aims to make data about the US HIV epidemic widely available, easily accessible, and locally relevant to inform public health decision making., Methods: AIDSVu develops visualizations, maps, and downloadable datasets using results from HIV surveillance systems, other population-based sources of information (eg, US Census and national probability surveys), and other data developed specifically for display and dissemination through the website (eg, pre-exposure prophylaxis [PrEP] prescriptions). Other types of content are developed to translate surveillance data into summarized content for diverse audiences using infographic panels, interactive maps, local and state fact sheets, and narrative blog posts., Results: Over 10 years, AIDSVu.org has used an expanded number of data sources and has progressively provided HIV surveillance and related data at finer geographic levels, with current data resources providing HIV prevalence data down to the census tract level in many of the largest US cities. Data are available at the county level in 48 US states and at the ZIP Code level in more than 50 US cities. In 2019, over 500,000 unique users consumed AIDSVu data and resources, and HIV-related data and insights were disseminated through nearly 4,000,000 social media posts. Since AIDSVu's inception, at least 249 peer-reviewed publications have used AIDSVu data for analyses or referenced AIDSVu resources. Data uses have included targeting of HIV testing programs, identifying areas with inequitable PrEP uptake, including maps and data in academic and community grant applications, and strategically selecting locations for new HIV treatment and care facilities to serve high-need areas., Conclusions: Surveillance data should be actively used to guide and evaluate public health programs; AIDSVu translates high-quality, population-based data about the US HIV epidemic and makes that information available in formats that are not consistently available in surveillance reports. Bringing public health surveillance data to an online resource is a democratization of data, and presenting information about the HIV epidemic in more visual formats allows diverse stakeholders to engage with, understand, and use these important public health data to inform public health decision making., (©Patrick Sean Sullivan, Cory Woodyatt, Chelsea Koski, Elizabeth Pembleton, Pema McGuinness, Jennifer Taussig, Alexandra Ricca, Nicole Luisi, Eve Mokotoff, Nanette Benbow, Amanda D Castel, Ann N Do, Ronald O Valdiserri, Heather Bradley, Chandni Jaggi, Daniel O'Farrell, Rebecca Filipowicz, Aaron J Siegler, James Curran, Travis H Sanchez. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 23.10.2020.)
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- 2020
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43. Sexually transmitted infection screening, prevalence and incidence among South African men and transgender women who have sex with men enrolled in a combination HIV prevention cohort study: the Sibanye Methods for Prevention Packages Programme (MP3) project.
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Jones J, Sanchez TH, Dominguez K, Bekker LG, Phaswana-Mafuya N, Baral SD, McNaghten AD, Kgatitswe LB, Valencia R, Yah CS, Zahn R, Siegler AJ, and Sullivan PS
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- Adult, Chlamydia Infections diagnosis, Chlamydia trachomatis, Female, Gonorrhea epidemiology, HIV Infections epidemiology, Humans, Incidence, Male, Mass Screening methods, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Prevalence, Prospective Studies, Rectal Diseases diagnosis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases epidemiology, South Africa epidemiology, Syphilis diagnosis, Urethral Diseases diagnosis, Young Adult, HIV Infections diagnosis, Homosexuality, Male, Sexual and Gender Minorities, Sexually Transmitted Diseases diagnosis, Transgender Persons
- Abstract
Introduction: Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) experience high incidence and prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI), and data are needed to understand risk factors for STIs in these populations. The Sibanye Health Project was conducted in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, South Africa from 2015 to 2016 to develop and test a package of HIV prevention interventions for MSM and TGW. We describe the incidence, prevalence and symptoms of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhea (NG) and syphilis observed during the study., Methods: Participants completed HIV testing at baseline. All participants who were HIV negative were followed prospectively. Additionally, a sample of participants identified as living with HIV at baseline was selected to be followed prospectively so that the prospective cohort was approximately 20% HIV positive; the remaining participants identified as HIV positive at baseline were not followed prospectively. Prospective participants were followed for 12 months and returned for clinic-based STI/HIV testing and assessment of STI symptoms at months 6 and 12. Additional HIV/STI testing visits could be scheduled at participant request., Results: Following consent, a total of 292 participants attended a baseline visit (mean age = 26 years), and 201 were enrolled for the 12-month prospective study. Acceptance of screening for syphilis and urethral NG/CT was near universal, though acceptance of screening for rectal NG/CT was lower (194/292; 66%). Prevalence of urethral CT and NG at baseline was 10% (29/289) and 3% (8/288) respectively; incidence of urethral CT and NG was 12.8/100 person-years (PY) and 7.1/100 PY respectively. Prevalence of rectal CT and NG at baseline was 25% (47/189) and 16% (30/189) respectively; incidence of rectal CT and NG was 33.4/100 PY and 26.8/100 PY respectively. Prevalence of syphilis at baseline was 17% (45/258) and incidence was 8.2/100 PY. 91%, 95% and 97% of diagnosed rectal NG/CT, urethral NG/CT and syphilis infections, respectively, were clinically asymptomatic., Conclusions: Prevalence and incidence of urethral and rectal STIs were high among these South African MSM and TGW, and were similar to rates in other settings in the world. Clinical symptoms from these infections were rare, highlighting limitations of syndromic surveillance and suggesting the need for presumptive testing and/or treatment to address the STI epidemic among MSM/TGW in South Africa., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of the International AIDS Society published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International AIDS Society.)
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- 2020
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44. HIV prevalence and incidence in a cohort of South African men and transgender women who have sex with men: the Sibanye Methods for Prevention Packages Programme (MP3) project.
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Sullivan PS, Phaswana-Mafuya N, Baral SD, Valencia R, Zahn R, Dominguez K, Yah CS, Jones J, Kgatitswe LB, McNaghten AD, Siegler AJ, Sanchez TH, and Bekker LG
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- Adolescent, Adult, Anti-HIV Agents therapeutic use, Black People, Cities, Cohort Studies, Female, HIV Infections drug therapy, HIV Infections prevention & control, HIV Infections transmission, Humans, Incidence, Male, Mass Screening, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Prevalence, South Africa epidemiology, Young Adult, HIV Infections epidemiology, Homosexuality, Male, Sexual and Gender Minorities, Transgender Persons
- Abstract
Introduction: Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) are at increased risk for acquiring HIV, but there are limited HIV incidence data for these key populations in Africa. Understanding HIV prevalence and incidence provides important context for designing HIV prevention strategies, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programmes. We describe HIV prevalence, awareness of HIV infection, HIV incidence and associated factors for a cohort of MSM and TGW in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, South Africa., Methods: From 2015 to 2016, MSM and TGW in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth were enrolled and prospectively followed for 12 months, receiving a comprehensive package of HIV prevention services. HIV testing was conducted at baseline and at follow-up visits (targeted for three, six and twelve months). All HIV-negative PrEP-eligible participants were offered PrEP enrolment during the first four months of study participation. We determined HIV prevalence among participants at baseline, and incidence by repeat screening of initially HIV-negative participants with HIV tests at three, six and twelve months., Results: Among 292 participants enrolled, HIV prevalence was high (43%; 95% CI: 38 to 49) and awareness of HIV status was low (50%). The 167 HIV-negative participants who were followed prospectively for 144.7 person-years; nine incident HIV infections were documented. Overall annual incidence was 6.2% (CI: 2.8 to 11.8) and did not differ by city. Annual HIV incidence was significantly higher for younger (18 to 19 years) MSM and TGW (MSM: 21.8% (CI: 1.2 to 100); TGW: 31.0 (CI: 3.7, 111.2)). About half of participants started PrEP during the study; the annual incidence of HIV among 82 (49%) PrEP starters was 3.6% (CI: 0.4, 13.1) and among those who did not start PrEP was 7.8% (CI: 3.1, 16.1)., Conclusions: HIV incidence was high among MSM and TGW in the context of receiving a comprehensive package of prevention interventions and offering of PrEP. PrEP uptake was high; the observed incidence of HIV in those who started PrEP was about half the incidence of HIV in those who did not. Future implementation-oriented studies should focus on decisions to start and continue PrEP for those at highest risk, including young MSM., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of the International AIDS Society published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International AIDS Society.)
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- 2020
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45. Adverse childhood experiences and sexual health outcomes and risk behaviors among a nationwide sample of men who have sex with men.
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Bertolino DF, Sanchez TH, Zlotorzynska M, and Sullivan PS
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- Adolescent, Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Outcome Assessment, Health Care trends, Risk-Taking, Sexually Transmitted Diseases epidemiology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases prevention & control, Unsafe Sex prevention & control, Young Adult, Adverse Childhood Experiences psychology, Adverse Childhood Experiences trends, HIV Infections psychology, Homosexuality, Male psychology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases psychology, Unsafe Sex psychology
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Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are associated with a wide range of increased risk behaviors and health consequences, they have not been extensively described in all subpopulations., Objective: The specific objectives of the study were to describe the prevalence of predefined ACEs among a nationwide sample of men who have sex with men (MSM) and determine associated HIV or sexually transmitted infection (STI) related health outcomes, testing practices, and risk behaviors., Participants and Setting: Eligible participants were MSM aged 18 years or older who reported male-male sex in the past 12 months., Methods: Data were obtained from the 2015 cycle of the American Men's Internet Survey, these data were collected between September 2015 and April 2016, and contained questions related to 8 ACE exposure categories. During analyses conducted between September 2017 and April 2018, multiple log-binomial models were fit to assess associations., Results: Among 2590 participants, 79.7 % reported exposure to one or more ACE category. Participants exposed to any ACE were more likely to report STI testing (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR]: 1.07; 95 % confidence interval [95 %-CI]: 1.00, 1.15), illicit substance use (aPR: 1.23, 95 %-CI: 1.05, 1.46), and condomless anal intercourse with another man (aPR: 1.13, 95 %-CI: 1.03, 1.21)., Conclusions: There is a high overall ACE burden among MSM nationally, with potential influences on key HIV/STI behaviors in later life. ACE exposure should be routinely assessed, prevention is ideal but appropriate measures such as trauma informed care should also be considered for adult MSM accessing HIV and STI-related services., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
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- 2020
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46. Sexuality Disclosure in U.S. Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men: Impact on Healthcare-Related Stigmas and HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Denial.
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Furukawa NW, Maksut JL, Zlotorzynska M, Sanchez TH, Smith DK, and Baral SD
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- Bisexuality, Disclosure, Female, Homosexuality, Male, Humans, Male, Social Stigma, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
Introduction: Stigma impairs access to health care by gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who are open about their sexuality, or out, are more resilient to stigma than those who are not out. Outness may influence healthcare utilization and prescription of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis to HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men., Methods: Analyzing the 2018 American Men's Internet Survey during 2019, the adjusted prevalence ratios of healthcare stigmas and outness to healthcare providers were calculated. The effect of outness on annual healthcare visits and stigma was measured. Pre-exposure prophylaxis seeking and denial by providers was quantified and stratified by outness., Results: Of 5,794 respondents, 3,402 (58.7%) were out to their provider. Out gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men were less likely to experience anticipated stigma (adjusted prevalence ratio=0.75, 95% CI=0.72, 0.80) but more likely to experience enacted stigma or discrimination (adjusted prevalence ratio=1.23, 95% CI=1.18, 1.28). In a subsample of out gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, recently experienced discrimination was associated with higher healthcare utilization (adjusted prevalence ratio=1.51, 95% CI=1.14, 1.51). Conversely, recent experienced discrimination was associated with lower healthcare utilization in not out gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (adjusted prevalence ratio=0.67, 95% CI=0.54, 0.82). Of 3,104 out gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, 1,417 (45.7%) discussed pre-exposure prophylaxis with their providers, compared with 120 of 1,711 (7.0%) gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who were not out (p<0.001). Pre-exposure prophylaxis denials were less common among out (116/793, 14.6%) than not out (14/55, 25.5%) gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (p=0.044)., Conclusions: Healthcare provider-related stigmas impair healthcare engagement among not out gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who were also more commonly denied pre-exposure prophylaxis. Ending the HIV epidemic necessitates creating safe environments for disclosure of sexual preferences and practices to facilitate access to HIV prevention., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)
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- 2020
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47. Patient Portals as Highly Acceptable Tools to Support HIV Preventative Behaviors Among Adolescent and Young Sexual Minority Men.
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Jackman KM, Latkin CA, Maksut JL, Trent ME, Sanchez TH, and Baral SD
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- Adolescent, Cross-Sectional Studies, Homosexuality, Male, Humans, Male, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Partners, HIV Infections prevention & control, Patient Portals, Sexual and Gender Minorities, Sexually Transmitted Diseases prevention & control
- Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to present perceptions about using patient portals to manage HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) test results and to communicate with sexual partners among a 2018 nationwide sample of adolescent and young sexual minority men (YSMM) aged 15-25 years., Methods: Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted on cross-sectional online survey data., Results: Participants gave high or moderate value to portals that provide tips for sexual health (95.1% [1,168/1,228]), ability to locate HIV/STI testing centers (96.9% [1,190/1,228]), and ability to order home-based HIV/STI testing (96% [1,179/1,228]). Perceived health engagement and dyadic communication benefits of use were sustained at or above 94%. YSMM with a history of HIV/STI diagnosis were less willing to share online results with main (93% vs. 97%; Χ
2 = 5.13; p = .02) and nonmain (70% vs. 77%; Χ2 = 5.17; p = .02) sexual partners., Conclusions: Patient portals represent highly acceptable spaces to deliver comprehensive sexual health services and could support communication on HIV/STI testing with sex partners among YSMM., (Copyright © 2020 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2020
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48. Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Uptake and Discontinuation Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men in Atlanta, Georgia: A Prospective Cohort Study.
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Serota DP, Rosenberg ES, Sullivan PS, Thorne AL, Rolle CM, Del Rio C, Cutro S, Luisi N, Siegler AJ, Sanchez TH, and Kelley CF
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- Adolescent, Adult, Black or African American, Cohort Studies, Georgia epidemiology, Homosexuality, Male, Humans, Male, Prospective Studies, Young Adult, Anti-HIV Agents therapeutic use, HIV Infections drug therapy, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections prevention & control, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Sexual and Gender Minorities
- Abstract
Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has great potential to reduce HIV incidence among young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM); however, initiation and persistence for this group remain low. We sought to understand the patterns and predictors of PrEP uptake and discontinuation among YBMSM in Atlanta, Georgia., Methods: PrEP was offered to all participants in a prospective cohort of YBMSM aged 18-29 years not living with HIV. Time to PrEP uptake, first discontinuation, and final discontinuation were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify predictors of uptake and discontinuation., Results: After 440 person-years of follow-up, 44% of YBMSM initiated PrEP through the study after a median of 122 days. Of PrEP initiators, 69% had a first discontinuation and 40% had a final discontinuation during the study period. The median time to first PrEP discontinuation was 159 days. Factors associated with PrEP uptake included higher self-efficacy, sexually transmitted infection (STI), and condomless anal intercourse. Factors associated with discontinuation included younger age, cannabis use, STI, and fewer sex partners. HIV incidence was 5.23/100 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.40-7.23), with a lower rate among those who started PrEP (incidence rate ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, .16-.92)., Conclusions: Persistent PrEP coverage in this cohort of YBMSM was suboptimal, and discontinuations were common despite additional support services available through the study. Interventions to support PrEP uptake and persistence, especially for younger and substance-using YBMSM, are necessary to achieve full PrEP effectiveness., Clinical Trials Registration: NCT02503618., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)
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- 2020
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49. Similarities and Differences in COVID-19 Awareness, Concern, and Symptoms by Race and Ethnicity in the United States: Cross-Sectional Survey.
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Jones J, Sullivan PS, Sanchez TH, Guest JL, Hall EW, Luisi N, Zlotorzynska M, Wilde G, Bradley H, and Siegler AJ
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- Adult, Black or African American statistics & numerical data, Asian People statistics & numerical data, Betacoronavirus, COVID-19, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Hispanic or Latino statistics & numerical data, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pandemics, SARS-CoV-2, Social Media, United States epidemiology, White People statistics & numerical data, Young Adult, Coronavirus Infections epidemiology, Ethnicity statistics & numerical data, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ethnology, Pneumonia, Viral epidemiology, Racial Groups statistics & numerical data, Surveys and Questionnaires
- Abstract
Background: Existing health disparities based on race and ethnicity in the United States are contributing to disparities in morbidity and mortality during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We conducted an online survey of American adults to assess similarities and differences by race and ethnicity with respect to COVID-19 symptoms, estimates of the extent of the pandemic, knowledge of control measures, and stigma., Objective: The aim of this study was to describe similarities and differences in COVID-19 symptoms, knowledge, and beliefs by race and ethnicity among adults in the United States., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey from March 27, 2020 through April 1, 2020. Participants were recruited on social media platforms and completed the survey on a secure web-based survey platform. We used chi-square tests to compare characteristics related to COVID-19 by race and ethnicity. Statistical tests were corrected using the Holm Bonferroni correction to account for multiple comparisons., Results: A total of 1435 participants completed the survey; 52 (3.6%) were Asian, 158 (11.0%) were non-Hispanic Black, 548 (38.2%) were Hispanic, 587 (40.9%) were non-Hispanic White, and 90 (6.3%) identified as other or multiple races. Only one symptom (sore throat) was found to be different based on race and ethnicity (P=.003); this symptom was less frequently reported by Asian (3/52, 5.8%), non-Hispanic Black (9/158, 5.7%), and other/multiple race (8/90, 8.9%) participants compared to those who were Hispanic (99/548, 18.1%) or non-Hispanic White (95/587, 16.2%). Non-Hispanic White and Asian participants were more likely to estimate that the number of current cases was at least 100,000 (P=.004) and were more likely to answer all 14 COVID-19 knowledge scale questions correctly (Asian participants, 13/52, 25.0%; non-Hispanic White participants, 180/587, 30.7%) compared to Hispanic (108/548, 19.7%) and non-Hispanic Black (25/158, 15.8%) participants., Conclusions: We observed differences with respect to knowledge of appropriate methods to prevent infection by the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Deficits in knowledge of proper control methods may further exacerbate existing race/ethnicity disparities. Additional research is needed to identify trusted sources of information in Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black communities and create effective messaging to disseminate correct COVID-19 prevention and treatment information., (©Jeb Jones, Patrick S Sullivan, Travis H Sanchez, Jodie L Guest, Eric W Hall, Nicole Luisi, Maria Zlotorzynska, Gretchen Wilde, Heather Bradley, Aaron J Siegler. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 10.07.2020.)
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- 2020
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50. Characterizing the Impact of COVID-19 on Men Who Have Sex with Men Across the United States in April, 2020.
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Sanchez TH, Zlotorzynska M, Rai M, and Baral SD
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- Adult, Betacoronavirus, COVID-19, HIV Infections prevention & control, Humans, Incidence, Male, Middle Aged, SARS-CoV-2, Substance-Related Disorders epidemiology, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States, Young Adult, Condoms statistics & numerical data, Coronavirus, Coronavirus Infections epidemiology, Health Services Accessibility statistics & numerical data, Homosexuality, Male statistics & numerical data, Mass Screening statistics & numerical data, Pandemics, Pneumonia, Viral epidemiology, Sexual Partners
- Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is reinforcing health inequities among vulnerable populations, including men who have sex with men (MSM). We conducted a rapid online survey (April 2 to April 13, 2020) of COVID-19 related impacts on the sexual health of 1051 US MSM. Many participants had adverse impacts to general wellbeing, social interactions, money, food, drug use and alcohol consumption. Half had fewer sex partners and most had no change in condom access or use. Some reported challenges in accessing HIV testing, prevention and treatment services. Compared to older MSM, those 15-24 years were more likely to report economic and service impacts. While additional studies of COVID-19 epidemiology among MSM are needed, there is already evidence of emerging interruptions to HIV-related services. Scalable remote solutions such as telehealth and mailed testing and prevention supplies may be urgently needed to avert increased HIV incidence among MSM during the COVID-19 pandemic era.
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- 2020
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