Labor Pains: Work-Related Barriers to Access to Health Care for People Living with HIV in Hyderabad, India.

To explore themes regarding work-related barriers to access to health care, we conducted 32 interviews, 16 with third gender people and 16 with cisgender women, all of whom were all living with HIV in Hyderabad, India. Most respondents were members of Dalit castes and had been living with HIV for several years at the time of the interview. Using thematic content analysis, interviews were coded by two researchers using a social determinants of health conceptual framework.

Associations between HIV stigma, gender, and depression among people living with HIV in Hyderabad, India.

The goal of this study was to explore the association between HIV stigma and depression and whether gender moderated this relationship. The theoretical framework for the study combined an adapted version of Goffman's conceptualization of stigma with gender role theory. We surveyed 150 individuals living with HIV in Hyderabad, India (51 cisgender women, 49 cisgender men, and 50 third gender people) on their experiences with HIV stigma.

Secret lives and gender fluidity of people living with HIV in Hyderabad, India.

This mixed-methods study sought to explore gender fluidity among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Hyderabad, India, almost all of whom did not identify as hijra. Sixteen gender-nonconforming people living with HIV completed both surveys and in-depth interviews, exploring their experiences with HIV and gender nonconformity stigma. Interviews were conducted in Hindi and Telugu, digitally audio-recorded, then subsequently translated and analyzed in English, using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

"They Kept Away": Social Isolation of Cisgender Women Living with HIV in Hyderabad, India.

Social isolation of cisgender women living with HIV has been recognized as a barrier to early detection of the virus, disclosure of HIV status to partners, and access to healthcare and social work services. The goal of this study is to explore how social isolation and depression affect cisgender women living with HIV in Hyderabad, India. Sixteen cisgender women living with HIV were asked to complete in-depth interviews regarding their experiences with HIV stigma and depression.

Rapid assessment of facilitators and barriers related to the acceptance, challenges and community perception of daily regimen for treating tuberculosis in India.

Introduction: The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) is the largest tuberculosis (TB) control program in the world based on Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) strategy. Globally, most countries have been using a daily regimen and in India a shift towards a daily regimen for TB treatment has already begun. The daily strategy is known to improve program coverage along with compliance.

Metabolic syndrome among urban Indian young adults: prevalence and associated risk factors.

Background: We estimated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among urban Indian young adults (18-25 years) as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), Internation Diabetes Federation (IDF), and Indian consensus statement criteria.

Method: We included 473 urban young adults through simple random sampling methodology to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors for metabolic syndrome.

Results: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was estimated to be 3.

A digital network approach to infer sex behavior in emerging HIV epidemics.

Purpose: Improve the ability to infer sex behaviors more accurately using network data.

Methods: A hybrid network analytic approach was utilized to integrate: (1) the plurality of reports from others tied to individual(s) of interest; and (2) structural features of the network generated from those ties. Network data was generated from digitally extracted cell-phone contact lists of a purposeful sample of 241 high-risk men in India.

Field-based video pre-test counseling, oral testing, and telephonic post-test counseling: implementation of an HIV field testing package among high-risk Indian men.

In India, men who have sex with men (MSM) and truck drivers are high-risk groups that often do not access HIV testing due to stigma and high mobility. This study evaluated a field testing package (FTP) that identified HIV positive participants through video pre-test counseling, OraQuick oral fluid HIV testing, and telephonic post-test counseling and then connected them to government facilities. A total of 598 MSM and truck drivers participated in the FTP and completed surveys covering sociodemographics, HIV testing history, risk behaviors, and opinions on the FTP.

Candidate change agent identification among men at risk for HIV infection.

Despite limited HIV prevention potency, peer-based programs have become one of the most often used HIV prevention approaches internationally. These programs demonstrate a need for greater specificity in peer change agent (PCA) recruitment and social network evaluation. In the present three-phase study based in India (2009-2010), we first explored the nature of friendship among truck-drivers, a group of men at high risk for HIV infection, in order to develop a thorough understanding of the social forces that contribute to and maintain their personal networks.

A protective effect of circumcision among receptive male sex partners of Indian men who have sex with men.

The role of circumcision in the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in resource restricted regions is poorly understood. This study explored the association of circumcision with HIV seroprevalence, in conjunction with other risk factors such as marriage and sex position, for a population of MSM in India. Participants (n = 387) were recruited from six drop-in centers in a large city in southern India.

HIV Infection, Genital Symptoms and Sexual Risk Behavior among Indian Truck Drivers from a Large Transportation Company in South India.

Background: Sentinel surveillance conducted in the high Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) prevalent state of Andhra Pradesh includes sub-populations thought to be at high-risk for HIV, but has not included truck drivers. Novel HIV prevention programs targeting this population increasingly adopt public - private partnership models. There have been no targeted studies of HIV prevalence and risk behavior among truck drivers belonging to the private sector in India.