Women who have sex with women (WSW) have lower rates of engagement in health care and preventive screenings than women who have sex exclusively with men. Existing literature provides limited insight into how intersecting and overlapping identities, such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and identities related to gender expression, may shape individuals' experiences within health care. We conducted qualitative interviews in New York City with 30 people who identified as women, reported sex with people who identify as women, were age 18-65, and were diverse in race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation and gender identity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: There is robust evidence that stigma negatively impacts both people living with HIV and those who might benefit from HIV prevention interventions. Within healthcare settings, research on HIV stigma has focused on intra-personal processes (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedical avoidance is common among U.S. adults, and may be emphasized among members of marginalized communities due to discrimination concerns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMen are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infections compared to women, but their risk perceptions around COVID-19 are persistently lower. Further, men often engage in less health promotion behavior because self-care in this capacity is seen as weak or less masculine. This combination has consequences for mortality; thus, a better understanding of men's COVID-19 cognitions and individual difference factors is critical.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the USA, the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges beyond the direct consequences of the infection. Because of shifting resources in response to need, many domains within the healthcare sector unrelated to COVID-19 have had interrupted abilities to provide care. In the current study, we focus on preventative sexual health care during the pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Acquir Immune Defic Syndr
September 2019
Background: Transmasculine individuals have been largely ignored in HIV prevention research, and there is a lack of data regarding this population's eligibility for and utilization of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Setting: National online survey conducted in the United States.
Methods: Between May and July 2017, we surveyed 1808 transmasculine individuals (aged 18-60 years; 30% people of color and/or Latinx), asking questions about sexual behavior and receipt of sexual health care, including PrEP.
Increasing PrEP adoption for eligible individuals is critical, but limited research has examined individual-level factors that might be amenable to educational or behavioral intervention. Using data from a PrEP demonstration project conducted at a community health center, we examined differences in behavioral and psychosocial factors between patients offered PrEP who chose to accept it and those who declined. In a multivariable model, the odds of accepting PrEP were higher among those with an HIV-positive main partner, greater risk behavior in the past 3 months, and higher HIV risk perception.
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