Intersecting Stigma and the HIV Care Cascade: Qualitative Insights from Sex Workers, Men who have Sex with Men, and Transgender Women Living with HIV in Jamaica.

In Jamaica, stigma experiences of sex workers (SW), gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), and transgender women living with HIV remain understudied. To address this gap, we explored experiences of stigma and linkages with the HIV care cascade among key populations living with HIV in Jamaica, including cisgender women SW, MSM, and transgender women. This qualitative study involved n = 9 focus groups (FG), n = 1 FG per population living with HIV (SW, MSM, transgender women) in each of three sites (Kingston, St.

Effectiveness of an eHealth intervention for reducing psychological distress and increasing COVID-19 knowledge and protective behaviors among racialized sexual and gender minority adults: A quasi-experimental study (#SafeHandsSafeHearts).

Purpose: Sexual and gender minority and racialized populations experienced heightened vulnerability during the Covid-19 pandemic. Marginalization due to structural homophobia, transphobia and racism, and resulting adverse social determinants of health that contribute to health disparities among these populations, were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and public health measures to control it. We developed and tested a tailored online intervention (#SafeHandsSafeHearts) to support racialized lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other persons outside of heteronormative and cisgender identities (LGBTQ+) in Toronto, Canada during the pandemic.

Associations between water insecurity and mental health outcomes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer persons in Bangkok, Thailand and Mumbai, India: Cross-sectional survey findings.

Background: Water insecurity disproportionally affects socially marginalized populations and may harm mental health. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) persons are at the nexus of social marginalization and mental health disparities; however, they are understudied in water insecurity research. Yet LGBTQ persons likely have distinct water needs.

: Multilevel influences on COVID-19 vaccination among racialized sexual and gender minority adults-a qualitative study.

High levels of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy have been reported among Black and Latinx populations, with lower vaccination coverage among racialized versus White sexual and gender minorities. We examined multilevel contexts that influence COVID-19 vaccine uptake, barriers to vaccination, and vaccine hesitancy among predominantly racialized sexual and gender minority individuals. Semi-structured online interviews explored perspectives and experiences around COVID-19 vaccination.

Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Under-Vaccination among Marginalized Populations in the United States and Canada: A Scoping Review.

Background: Amid persistent disparities in Covid-19 vaccination and burgeoning research on vaccine hesitancy (VH), we conducted a scoping review to identify multilevel determinants of Covid-19 VH and under-vaccination among marginalized populations in the U.S. and Canada.

Multilevel Factors Impacting PrEP Engagement Among Young Gay Men and Young Transgender Women in Thailand: A Qualitative Analysis.

Half of new HIV infections in Thailand are among young people, the majority of whom are young gay and other men who have sex with men (YMSM) and young transgender women (YTGW). Amid low pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) coverage, we explored practice-based factors that impact PrEP engagement among YMSM and YTGW. In 2018, we conducted 4 focus group discussions with 20 YMSM and 5 YTGW, and 22 in-depth interviews (5 in 2022) with healthcare providers (HCPs), community-based organization (CBO)/nongovernmental organization (NGO) staff, and peer educators.

A scoping review of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) people's health in India.

Amid incremental progress in establishing an enabling legal and policy environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-identified people, and people with intersex variations (LGBTQI+) in India, evidence gaps on LGBTQI+ health are of increasing concern. To that end, we conducted a scoping review to map and synthesize the current evidence base, identify research gaps, and provide recommendations for future research. We conducted a scoping review using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology.

Mental health, economic well-being and health care access amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods study among urban men who have sex with men in India.

Scant empirical research from Asia has addressed the impact of COVID-19 on sexual minority health. We aimed to explore and understand the impact of COVID-19 on income security, mental health, HIV risk and access to health services among men who have sex with men (MSM) in India. We conducted a concurrent mixed methods study from April to June 2020, including a cross-sectional survey and in-depth semi-structured interviews with MSM recruited from three non-governmental organisations providing HIV prevention services in Chandigarh, India.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Economic Well-being and Health Outcomes among Transgender Women in India.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related lockdowns in India have disrupted the meager sources of income of many transgender women, including those in the hijra subculture who largely rely on money from providing blessings, begging, and sex work. Many have expended savings and taken high-interest loans, contributing to psychological distress. For hijras engaged in sex work, challenges to negotiating condom use and adhering to COVID-19 protective measures increase risks for contracting HIV and COVID-19 amid decreased access to HIV services.

Peer education interventions for HIV prevention and sexual health with young people in Mekong Region countries: a scoping review and conceptual framework.

WHO-recommended rights-based approaches to sexual health emphasise participatory and youth-centred processes. Among these, peer education (PE) interventions are commonly used to promote HIV prevention and sexual health for young people, particularly in low-resource, high HIV prevalence contexts. We conducted a scoping review to identify key characteristics, implementation challenges, and knowledge gaps in the literature regarding PE interventions in Mekong Region countries.

Exploring the Protective Value of Using Sexting for Condom Negotiation on Condom use Determinants and Practices Among Forcibly Displaced Adolescents in the Slums of Kampala, Uganda.

Given the global growth of adolescent texting, we evaluate texting-based sexual communication as a potential site for interventions encouraging condom use cascades, particularly among displaced adolescents-a population with disproportionate levels of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. With data from 242 forcibly displaced adolescents in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, we used path analysis to examine pathways from gender/dating relationship to condom determinant (knowledge of where to access condoms) and practices (access/use of condoms), through sexting-based condom negotiation, controlling for sexting practices. We found direct pathways from gender (boys vs.

Support for Texting-Based Condom Negotiation Among Forcibly Displaced Adolescents in the Slums of Kampala, Uganda: Cross-sectional Validation of the Condom Use Negotiated Experiences Through Technology Scale.

Background: Promoting sexual health among forcibly displaced adolescents is a global public health priority. Digital sexual communication strategies (eg, sexting) may increase adolescents' confidence in discussing sexual health issues and negotiating condom use. However, limited evidence exists describing validated measures for text-based condom negotiation in the literature.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among marginalized populations in the U.S. and Canada: Protocol for a scoping review.

Introduction: Despite the development of safe and highly efficacious COVID-19 vaccines, extensive barriers to vaccine deployment and uptake threaten the effectiveness of vaccines in controlling the pandemic. Notably, marginalization produces structural and social inequalities that render certain populations disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19 incidence, morbidity, and mortality, and less likely to be vaccinated. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide a comprehensive overview of definitions/conceptualizations, elements, and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among marginalized populations in the U.

Familism and HIV Risk Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Taiwan: The Mediating Roles of Stressful Life Events and Coping Strategies.

Familism may play an important role in HIV risk behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM) living in a collectivist culture. This study examined a hypothesized path from familism, stressful life events (i.e.

An eHealth Intervention for Promoting COVID-19 Knowledge and Protective Behaviors and Reducing Pandemic Distress Among Sexual and Gender Minorities: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial (#SafeHandsSafeHearts).

Background: Existing data on COVID-19 disparities among vulnerable populations portend excess risk for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and other persons outside of heteronormative and cisgender identities (ie, LGBT+). Owing to adverse social determinants of health, including pervasive HIV and sexual stigma, harassment, violence, barriers in access to health care, and existing health and mental health disparities, sexual and gender minorities in India and Thailand are at disproportionate risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease. Despite global health disparities among LGBT+ populations, there is a lack of coordinated, community-engaged interventions to address the expected excess burden of COVID-19 and public health-recommended protective measures.

Exploring linkages between climate change and sexual health: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: The effects of climate change and associated extreme weather events (EWEs) present substantial threats to well-being. EWEs hold the potential to harm sexual health through pathways including elevated exposure to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), disrupted healthcare access, and increased sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The WHO defines four components of sexual health: comprehensive sexuality education; HIV and STI prevention and care; SGBV prevention and care; and psychosexual counselling.

Virality, desire and health assemblages: mapping (dis)continuities in the response to and management of HIV and COVID-19.

In this paper, we explore the relationship between "viral load" as a virological, immunological, epidemiological and social category and how it links the four decades-long global HIV pandemic to the ongoing response to COVID-19. We argue, metaphorically, that the response to SARS-CoV-2 contains 'genetic' material from HIV, which has (as a result of the digital age which reproduces error-filled data at incredible speed) mutated and is being transmitted into the social and political body. Using sexual health and substance use as focal points, we turn to Deleuzoguattarian theoretical insights about the assemblage of desire, affect and material factors that produce epidemics.

LGBT+ inclusion and human rights in Thailand: a scoping review of the literature.

Background: Globally, LGBT+ people continue to struggle to achieve full realization of their human rights. Amid reported health and mental health disparities, and economic insecurity, we conducted a scoping review to explore the breadth of the literature, map and summarize the evidence, and identify knowledge gaps on LGBT+ inclusion and human rights in Thailand.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review in accordance with the methodology developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

'No test, no disease': Multilevel barriers to HIV testing among young men who have sex with men and transgender women in three semi-urban areas in Thailand.

Young gay and other men who have sex with men and young transgender women in Thailand continue to be at high risk for HIV infection. We explored multilevel influences on HIV testing in order to inform the design of tailored interventions. We conducted four focus group discussions with 16-20-year-old gay men and transgender persons ( = 25) and 17 key informant interviews with healthcare providers, NGO leaders, and youth advocates.

HIV and mental health among young people in low-resource contexts in Southeast Asia: A qualitative investigation.

Young people aged 15-24 years comprise one-fourth of incident HIV infections in Southeast Asia. Given the high prevalence and impact of mental health issues among young people, we explored intersections of HIV and mental health, with a focus on adolescent and young key populations (AYKP) in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Sixteen focus group discussions (4/country) with young people ( = 132; 16-24 years) and 41 key informant interviews with multisectoral HIV experts explored young people's lived experiences and unmet needs, existing programmes, and strategic directions for local and regional HIV responses.

Affirming and negotiating gender in family and social spaces: Stigma, mental health and resilience among transmasculine people in India.

Research on transmasculine people's health is scant globally, including in India. We explored transmasculine people's experiences in affirming their gender in family and social spaces, and how those experiences impact mental health. In 2019, we conducted four focus groups ( = 17 participants) and 10 in-depth interviews with transmasculine people in Mumbai and Chennai.