Objectives: Racial/ethnic disparities in HIV diagnosis rates remain despite the availability of effective treatment and prevention tools in the United States. In 2019, President Trump announced the "Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America" (EHE) initiative to reduce new HIV infections in the United States at least 75% by 2025 and at least 90% by 2030. The objective of this study was to show the potential effect of the EHE initiative on racial/ethnic disparities in HIV diagnosis rates at the national level.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has demonstrated high efficacy to reduce HIV infections, however, racial/ethnic HIV disparities continue among black MSM. The purpose of this review was to assess available data to inform interventions to increase PrEP awareness, uptake, and adherence among black MSM. Of the 3024 studies retrieved, 36 met final inclusion criteria and were categorized into the PrEP care continuum: (1) awareness (n = 16), (2) uptake (n = 9), and (3) adherence (n = 12).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Southeast accounted for most HIV diagnoses (52%) in the United States in 2015. Primary care providers (PCPs) play a vital role in HIV prevention for at-risk persons and treatment of persons living with HIV. We studied HIV-related training, knowledge, and clinical practices among PCPs in the Southeast to address knowledge gaps to inform HIV prevention strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncident human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections among adolescent females and women declined during 2010-2016, with the largest decrease (21%) occurring among black women (1). However, in 2016, although black women accounted for 13% of the U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe assessed disparities in viral suppression (VS) and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among women of the HIV Outpatient Study to inform HIV treatment strategies. We used adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to assess VS by race/ethnicity and generalized estimating equations to investigate factors associated with not achieving VS and ART non-adherence. Among 426 women (median age = 46 years), at baseline, VS was less prevalent among black women (63%) compared with Hispanic women/Latinas (73%) and white women (78%).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlack women have disproportionately higher rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and low percentages being linked to care and becoming virally suppressed, compared with women of other races/ethnicities. To date, few evidence-based HIV prevention and care interventions tailored for black women exist. We highlight three essential factors to consider in designing culturally and gender-appropriate studies to address HIV-related disparities affecting black women: (1) social determinants of HIV risk, (2) determinants of equity, and (3) perceptions of black women's sexuality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAIDS Patient Care STDS
October 2018
Reducing HIV-related stigma may enhance the quality of HIV prevention and care services and is a national prevention goal. The objective of this systematic review was to identify studies of HIV-related stigma among healthcare providers. For studies published between 2010 and 2017, we: (1) searched databases using our keywords, (2) excluded nonpeer reviewed studies, (3) limited the findings to the provider perspective and studies conducted in the United States, (4) extracted and summarized the data, and (5) conducted a contextual review to identify common themes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlack/African American (black) women comprised 59% of women living with HIV at the end of 2014 and 61% of HIV diagnoses among women in 2015. Black women living with HIV infection (BWLH) have poorer health outcomes compared with women of other races/ethnicities; social and structural determinants are often cited as barriers and facilitators of care. The objective of this qualitative review was to identify social and structural barriers and facilitators of HIV treatment and care among BWLH.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the United States, women accounted for 19% of new HIV diagnoses in 2015 and were less likely to reach virologic suppression when compared to men. We assessed trends and disparities in virologic suppression among HIV-positive women to inform HIV treatment strategies. Data were from a prospective cohort of the HIV Outpatient Study and collected at nine United States HIV clinics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParticipants at a sexual health clinic completed a survey with questions regarding sexual risk behavior and partner characteristics. Of 585 participants eligible for analysis, 124 reported generally having older male partners. These participants were significantly more likely to be HIV-infected (p < 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated whether intact young Black MSM differed from their circumcised counterparts regarding condom use behaviors and perceptions and HIV/Chlamydia/gonorrhea. Young Black MSM completed a self-interview, including a pictorial item assessing circumcision status and measures of condom use. Twenty-seven percent of 388 participants reported not being circumcised.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To assess internalized homophobia (IH) and its relationship to sexual risk behaviors and prevalence of sexually transmitted infection (STIs) in a clinic-based sample of young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM).
Methods: Six hundred YBMSM completed a self-interview and provided specimens for testing. A 7-item scale assessed IH, and 19 sexual risk behaviors were assessed.
This study determined whether a novel (single-item) measure of poverty is associated with elevated sexual risk among young Black men who have sex with men who reside in a US city with high HIV seroprevalence. A convenience sample of 600 Black men who have sex with men (ages 16-29) completed a computer-assisted self-interview. The questionnaire included an item asking men, 'In the past 12 months have you missed meals because you did not have enough money to eat?' Selected measures of sexual risk and prevalence of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV were assessed as outcomes of this novel measure of poverty.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study is to assess whether different sexual risk behavior exists among young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) as a function of age. A total of 382 YBMSM completed a computer-assisted self-interview at a sexual health clinic. The frequency/prevalence of fifteen sexual risk behaviors was compared between three groups (ages 16-19, 20-25, and 26-29, respectively) in the 90 days prior to enrollment in the study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the United States, young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) bear the single largest burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Whether HIV-positive men in this population practice relatively safer sex than their HIV negative counterparts has not been recently investigated. The purpose of this study was to compare selected sexual risk behaviors between YBMSM who are HIV-positive to their HIV-negative counterparts of the same geographic location in the southern US.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: In 2012, Jackson, Mississippi, had the third highest incidence rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among young Black men who have sex with men (MSM). The goal of this qualitative study (the initial phase of an HIV prevention clinical trial) was to explore how cultural norms regarding antihomosexual attitudes interfere with the safe sex practices and relationship norms of young Black MSM in Mississippi.
Methods: Nine focus groups (N = 54) were conducted with young Black MSM aged 18-29.
Emerging adult Black men and substance users may have an increased risk for compromised sexual health. This study qualitatively investigated how substance use affects the sexual decision-making of emerging adult Black men. Nineteen Black men in college (18-24 years) completed a semi-structured interview about their sexual attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions and their substance use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study is to determine whether young Black MSM who also have sex with females report similar levels of sexual risk behaviors as those not having sex with females. YBMSM (N = 400) were recruited from an STI clinic, located in the Southern U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study determined whether YBMSM endorsing serosorting are less likely to use condoms. A questionnaire assessed men's attitudes towards serosorting with a three-item scale; various sexual risk behaviours were measured using a 90-day recall period. Favourable attitudes toward serosorting were associated with a greater likelihood of condomless sex as a top (P<0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study was to provide formative data on the sexual behaviors of emerging adult Black men who attended a historically Black college/university. A convenience sample of 19 participants completed a demographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative approach to explore the role of the developmental stage that emerging adulthood has on sexual health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Background The purpose of this study was to identify unmediated associations of early sexual debut (ESD) on the current safer sex practices of young Black men (YBM).
Methods: A cross-sectional study of YBM (n=697) attending clinics treating sexually transmissible diseases (STIs) in three cities was conducted. ESD was dichotomised at the age of 13 years and under.
Condom negotiation among young Black men who have sex with men in the Southern United States was explored using the theory of reasoned action. Fifty-four (18- to 29-year-old) males participated in nine focus group interviews. Discussions elicited condom use and negotiation attitudes, beliefs and social norms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe study investigated pleasure-related, partner-related, and social normative correlates of recent condom refusal in young Black men (YBM). A cross-sectional study of YBM (N = 561) attending clinics treating sexually transmitted diseases in three cities was conducted. Mean age was 19.
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