Publications by authors named "M R Loutfy"

In 2022, a community-academic collaborative team published 5 key recommendations for developing a national action plan to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women living with HIV in Canada. In 2023, a national gathering was convened to strategize implementation of the recommendations across policy, practice, and research settings. Discussions highlighted that meaningful engagement of women living with HIV (recommendation 1) is foundational to implementing the other recommendations.

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Background: Although some evidence suggests that alcohol, substance use, and mental health issues diminish adherence to HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among gay, bisexual, and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (gbMSM), findings are somewhat inconsistent and have primarily derived from studies involving non-random samples. Medical chart extraction can provide unique insight by in part surmounting sampling-related limitations, as data for entire PrEP clinic populations can be examined. Our investigation entailed comprehensive chart extraction to assess the extent to which chart-reported alcohol, substance use, and mental health issues were associated with chart-reported PrEP nonadherence.

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Youth Sexual Health and HIV/STI Prevention in Middle Eastern and North African Communities (YSMENA) is the first community-based research study in Canada to explore key determinants of sexual health among diaspora Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) women living in Canada. Our objectives were to identify the factors influencing sexual health for MENA youth and grow an evidence base to strengthen the sexual health response for MENA communities. Using mixed- method design, data were gathered through a quantitative socio-demographic survey and qualitative focus groups with 24 women-identifying MENA youth (16-29 years) living in Ontario, Canada.

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Article Synopsis
  • Advancements in HIV treatment have led to longer survival for individuals, but frailty is developing earlier among them.
  • A study of older Canadians living with HIV found a 16.6% prevalence of frailty, assessed using the Fried Frailty Phenotype.
  • Key factors associated with frailty included being single and experiencing loneliness, while nadir CD4 count showed no correlation.
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Article Synopsis
  • * Factors such as older age, White ethnicity, substance use history, and food insecurity were found to be independently associated with amenorrhea among women with HIV.
  • * The study highlights the importance of addressing modifiable risk factors and encourages healthcare providers to regularly assess menstrual health and support socio-structural changes to improve outcomes for women with HIV.
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