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As the prospect of an HIV cure is gaining prominence, engaging key populations affected by an HIV cure becomes essential. This study examined the engagement of HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) and/or partners of people with HIV (PHIV) in the Netherlands. Interviews were conducted with 19 MSM not in relationships with a partner with HIV and 16 partners of PHIV and were thematically analyzed. Perspectives on the importance of an HIV cure were shaped by the perceived severity of HIV and the level of susceptibility to the virus. Despite concerns about potential new HIV infections and treatment intensity, most participants believed that an HIV cure could reduce HIV burden. Both HIV eradication and HIV suppression were regarded as acceptable outcomes. Engagement was demonstrated through actions like accessing information, participating in research, and showing support for partners or community members involved in HIV cure research. In conclusion, we found that most participants were engaged due to their heightened perception of HIV's severity. However, this engagement tended to remain passive due to their perceived low susceptibility to HIV, resulting in a scenario where the perceived importance of an HIV cure is high, while personal relevance remains low.

Obesity in Pacific Island countries (PICs) has hit crisis levels, and the consequent high non-communicable disease (NCD) burden is devastating for their developing economies. Nutrition transitions from traditional, plant and seafood diets to a dependence on processed foods are at the core of the obesity and NCD epidemic in PICs. Fiscal policies are widely promoted as an effective mechanism to reduce consumption of unhealthy foods and increase consumption of fruits and vegetables. However, there are little data to evaluate the effectiveness of these policies as rates of NCDs and obesity in PICs continue to rise. This study used an online survey to recruit 4116 adults from six PICs: Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The study measured the consumption of and household access to sugar-sweetened beverages, ultra-processed packaged snacks, fruits and vegetables and attitudes on food prices and unhealthy eating. The study also assessed the relationship between consumption of these foods and drink and (1) household access, (2) price as a food choice motive, and (3) unhealthy eating attitudes. This study provides novel data on food-related behaviours in PICs, offers insights into the potential impact of NCD-related fiscal policies on food consumption and identifies other variables of interest.

Background: COVID-19 mitigation measures intend to protect public health, but their adverse psychological, social, and economic effects weaken public support. Less favorable trade-offs may especially weaken support for more restrictive measures. Support for mitigation measures may also differ between population subgroups who experience different benefits and costs, and decrease over time, a phenomenon termed “pandemic fatigue.” Methods: We examined self-reported support for COVID-19 mitigation measures in the Netherlands over 12 consecutives waves of data collection between April 2020 and May 2021 in an open population cohort study. Participants were recruited through community panels of the 25 regional public health services, and through links to the online surveys advertised on social media. The 54,010 unique participants in the cohort study on average participated in 4 waves of data collection. Most participants were female (65%), middle-aged [57% (40–69 years)], highly educated (57%), not living alone (84%), residing in an urban area (60%), and born in the Netherlands (95%). Results: COVID-19 mitigation measures implemented in the Netherlands remained generally well-supported over time [all scores >3 on 5-point scale ranging 1 (low)−5 (high)]. During the whole period studied, support was highest for personal hygiene measures, quarantine and wearing face masks, high but somewhat lower for not shaking hands, testing and self-isolation, and restricting social contacts, and lowest for limiting visitors at home, and not traveling abroad. Women and higher educated people were more supportive of some mitigation measures than men and lower educated people. Older people were more supportive of more restrictive measures than younger people, and support for more socially restrictive measures decreased most over time in higher educated people or in younger people. Conclusions: This study found no support for pandemic fatigue in terms of a gradual decline in support fo

The home food environment (HFE) can have important direct and indirect impacts on dietary practices. Nutrient transitions in the HFE of Pacific Island countries (PICs) are key contributors of the high rates of adult and childhood overweight and obesity in the region. Pacifica mothers are important sociocultural agents who play critical roles in their HFE through setting eating-appropriateness standards and mitigating the impacts of food availability and accessibility on the HFE. This study used an interpretative phenomenological approach to explore how urban indigenous Fijian mothers perceive healthy eating and how these perceptions impacted the food decisions they made for their families. Mothers in this study held complex, multifaceted perceptions on healthy eating and these perceptions had both positive and negative impacts on the family food choices they made, the strategies they adopted for healthy eating and their perceived motivators for healthy eating. The findings of this study underscore the need for a deeper understanding and analysis of uptake of public health messaging related to healthy and unhealthy eating and the importance of targeted promotion of healthful nutrition in this community. Promoting consumption of traditional and locally grown foods can enhance nutrition and food security and combat nutrition transition in the region.

As research into the development of an HIV cure gains prominence, assessing the perspectives of stakeholders becomes imperative. It empowers stakeholders to determine priorities and influence research processes. We conducted a systematic review of the empirical literature on stakeholder perspectives. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for empirical, peer-reviewed articles, published before September 2022. Our analysis of 78 papers showed that stakeholders could be divided into three categories: people with HIV, key populations, and professionals. Following thematic synthesis, two main themes were distinguished: stakeholders’ perspectives on HIV cure research and stakeholders’ perspectives on HIV cure. Research on perspectives on HIV cure research showed that stakeholders’ hypothetical willingness to participate (WTP) in HIV cure research was relatively high, while actual WTP was found to be lower. Studies also identified associated (individual) characteristics of hypothetical WTP, as well as facilitators and barriers to hypothetical participation. Additionally, we reported research on experiences of actual HIV cure research participation. Our analysis of stakeholder perceptions of HIV cure showed that most stakeholders preferred a cure that could eliminate HIV and outlined positive associated impacts. Furthermore, we observed that most included studies were conducted among PWHIV, and in the Global North. To empower stakeholders, we recommend that future research include an even greater diversity of stakeholders and incorporate theories of behavior to further explore how stakeholders decide to meaningfully engage in every stage of HIV cure research.

OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to study whether being aware of the existence of worksite health promotion (WHP), using it, or both are related to employees' task and contextual performance. METHODS: Multilevel cross-sectional data came from the European Sustainable Workforce Survey, with data from more than 11,000 employees in 259 organizations. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to examine two types of WHP: healthy menus and sports facilities. RESULTS: Awareness of healthy menus and sports facilities was positively associated with task and contextual performance. Healthy menus use was related to both higher task and contextual performance, whereas sports facilities use was only associated with contextual performance. The relation of WHP use was stronger for contextual than for task performance. CONCLUSIONS: Organizations should ensure that employees are aware of the availability of WHP as well as stimulate employees to make use of it.

Parents have a critical role to play in the sexual education of their children. We conducted a systematic review of studies assessing the experiences of parents regarding the role they play in the sexual education of their children. We included qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies conducted among parents in Europe. We searched PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus, and screened 20,244 unique records. Forty-nine studies enrolling 18,083 unique parents met inclusion criteria. The studies show that parents have ideals regarding the sexual education of their children that center around the importance of trust, open conversations, and honesty. However, challenges and concerns, related to parents’ and children’s gender, children’s age, children’s specific situations, and limited parental knowledge and communication skills prevented them from living up to these ideals. Parents pointed to the role of other institutions as ways to support and strengthen parents’ contributions to the sexual development of their children. We conclude that parents may require guidance and support to identify what is appropriate sexual education for their children, based on age, gender, and other characteristics, how to provide appropriate sexual education, and to strengthen their sexual communication skills and knowledge of contemporary sexual health issues.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a major public health threat, disproportionately affecting young people, and men who have sex with men. In this narrative review of the current state of behavioural science research on STI prevention, we consider the definition, health impacts, correlates and determinants, and interventions to promote STI prevention behaviour. Research on STI prevention behaviour has extended from a focus on abstinence, partner reduction and condom use, to also include novel preventive behaviours, notably treatment-as-prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (i.e., the preventive use of medicines by uninfected people), and vaccination for some STIs. Social-cognitive factors specified by, for instance the theory of planned behaviour, are critical proximal determinants of STI prevention behaviours, and related interventions can effectively promote STI prevention behaviours. Social-ecological perspectives highlight that individual-level determinants are embedded in more distal environmental influences, with social stigma especially affecting STI prevention behaviours and requiring effective intervention. Further to providing a major domain of application, STI prevention also poses critical challenges and opportunities for health psychology theory and research. We identify a need for health behaviour theory that addresses the processes linking multiple levels of influence on behaviour and provides practical guidance for multi-level behaviour change interventions adapted to specific contexts.

Pacific Island countries (PICs), such as Fiji, lead the world statistics in obesity and deaths caused by non-communicable diseases. The impacts of obesity overburden the healthcare system and social services and have major impacts on the Fijian economy. This study is the first of its kind to undertake an in-depth exploration of the determinants of the obesity epidemic in PICs by exploring the sociocultural influences and situations that impact nutrient transitions, overconsumption, and unhealthy eating in an urban indigenous community. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 indigenous Fijian women from the largest urban center in Fiji who self-identified as gatekeepers of family meal planning, preparing, and shopping for groceries, fruits, and vegetables. The women identified several cultural norms and expectations of both the individuals providing the food and the individuals consuming the food that create and maintain an obesogenic social environment. Moreover, participants also shared a misplaced value on meat, energy-dense foods, junk food, and fast foods that further contribute to unhealthy eating and overeating within this urban indigenous community. These novel findings highlight the importance of considering sociocultural influences on unhealthy eating and overeating and may be used to assist decision-makers in developing contextualized obesity prevention strategies and health messaging to target obesity in this community.