Access to Health Services Among Young Adult Gay Men in New York City.

This research is a cross-sectional study of young adult gay men (YAGM), ages 18 to 29, that aims to understand their health-care access including: having a primary care provider (PCP), frequency of health-care visits, and instances of foregone health care. Surveys were conducted with a modified time-space sample of 800 YAGM in New York City (NYC). Surveys were conducted between November 2015 and June 2016.

Beliefs About the End of AIDS, Concerns About PrEP Functionality, and Perceptions of HIV Risk as Drivers of PrEP Use in Urban Sexual Minority Men: The P18 Cohort Study.

Using cross-sectional data from an ongoing cohort study of young gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (N = 492), we examined the extent to which cognitive factors such as beliefs about the end of AIDS, concerns about the manner in which PrEP works, and perceptions about risk of contracting HIV, are related to PrEP uptake and use. While almost all participants indicted awareness of PrEP, a mere 14% had ever used PrEP. Those with lower concerns about the side effects of PrEP and greater belief that treatment and PrEP would eliminate AIDS were also more likely to have ever used PrEP.

Evaluation of a Mobile Phone App for Providing Adolescents With Sexual and Reproductive Health Information, New York City, 2013-2016.

The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released the Teens in NYC mobile phone application (app) in 2013 as part of a program to promote sexual and reproductive health among adolescents aged 12-19 in NYC. The app featured a locator that allowed users to search for health service providers by sexual health services, contraceptive methods, and geographic locations. We analyzed data on searches from the Where to Go section of the app to understand the patterns of use of the app's search functionality.

Desire for Patient-Centered HIV Care Among Inconsistently Engaged Racial and Ethnic Minority People Living With HIV.

Many low-income people of color living with HIV are not virally suppressed. More research is needed to understand how socially marginalized, disengaged, or inconsistently engaged people living with HIV (PLWH) contend with antiretroviral therapy (ART)-related challenges, particularly in the context of interactions with HIV care providers. Twenty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with low-income Black and Hispanic PLWH in the New York City area who were currently, or recently, disengaged from outpatient HIV health care at the time of the interview.

A comparison of self-reported sexual effects of alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy in a sample of young adult nightlife attendees.

Alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA], 'Molly') are among the most prevalent substances used by young adults; however, few studies have focused on the specific sexual effects associated with use. Examining subjective sexual effects (e.g.

Associations of Perceived Parental Psychopathology with Mental Health Burden and Lifetime Drug Use in Gay, Bisexual, and other YMSM: The P18 Cohort Study.

Parental mental health may be a critical component in understanding the overlapping health burdens of mental health symptomatology and drug use in young men who have sex with men (YMSM), yet studies of YMSM have not fully examined these associations. To understand these relationships, data drawn from a study of gay, bisexual, and other YMSM were used to examine associations between perceived parental psychopathology and the health of YMSM. Findings suggest that YMSM reporting at least one parent with perceived depression, manic depression, schizophrenia, or antisocial behavior anytime during their childhoods were more likely to report higher levels of both depressive symptomatology and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those reporting no perception of any of these psychopathologies in their parents.

Post-exposure prophylaxis awareness and use among men who have sex with men in London who use geosocial-networking smartphone applications.

The number of new HIV infections continues to be on the rise in many high-income countries, most notably among men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite recent attention to the use of antiretroviral medications as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among MSM, considerably less research has been devoted to examining the awareness and use of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Based on a convenience sample of 179 self-reported HIV-uninfected MSM using a geosocial-networking smartphone application, this study is among the first to examine the awareness and use of PEP and their demographic and behavioral correlates among MSM in London.

Reasons for recent marijuana use in relation to use of other illicit drugs among high school seniors in the United States.

Objectives: Studies show that illicit cannabis (marijuana) use is related to use of other illicit drugs and that reasons for use are related to frequency of marijuana use. However, research is needed to examine whether specific reasons for marijuana use are associated with use of other illicit drugs.

Methods: Data from recent marijuana-using high school seniors were examined from 12 cohorts of Monitoring the Future (Weighted n = 6481) to examine whether reasons for recent marijuana use are associated with use of eight other illicit drugs.

Illicit drug use among rave attendees in a nationally representative sample of US high school seniors.

Background: The popularity of electronic dance music and rave parties such as dance festivals has increased in recent years. Targeted samples of party-goers suggest high rates of drug use among attendees, but few nationally representative studies have examined these associations.

Methods: We examined sociodemographic correlates of rave attendance and relationships between rave attendance and recent (12-month) use of various drugs in a representative sample of US high school seniors (modal age: 18) from the Monitoring the Future study (2011-2013; Weighted N=7373).