Mapping Vaccination Mindsets among UK Residents of Black Ethnicities with HIV: Lessons from COVID-19.

Vaccine hesitancy is a leading threat to public health, but little is known about the beliefs and mindsets that drive vaccine hesitancy, especially among people of Black ethnicities. This study aimed to understand vaccine related beliefs and their relationship with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine uptake in UK residents of Black ethnicities living with HIV. Adults of self-reported Black ethnicities with HIV were recruited at 12 clinics in England.

Hearing the Silence and Silenced: Co-Producing Research on Infant-Feeding Experiences and Practices With Black Women With HIV.

In the UK, up to 700 people with HIV give birth annually; the majority are Black African migrant cisgender women. Infant-feeding decisions for parents with HIV are complex, requiring parents to weigh-up the small risk of HIV transmission via breastmilk and UK guidelines recommending formula milk, against strong personal and societal expectations to breastfeed. We explored this situation in a qualitative study.

HIV prevention and missed opportunities among people with recently acquired HIV infection: Α protocol for a systematic review.

Background: Individuals who have recently acquired HIV represent a unique population because the time frame since HIV acquisition is relatively short and identification of missed HIV prevention opportunities is, therefore, closer to real time and less subject to recall bias. Identifying prevention measures used and missed opportunities for using them, can help stop further HIV transmission.

Objectives: This systematic review aims to synthesise current global evidence on uptake of HIV prevention methods among people with recently acquired HIV from 2007, the year that the concept of ART as a prevention method was first introduced.

'COVID impacted my life in so many ways': a qualitative study of the lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic among people of Black ethnicities living with HIV in England.

Objectives: COVID-19 disproportionately affected people of Black ethnicities whilst also negatively affecting the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of people living with HIV. This may have been amplified by pre-existing socioeconomic marginalisation, poorer health, and structural racism. Despite being disproportionately affected by the pandemic, little is known about lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic within these communities.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of tenofovir disoproxil and emtricitabine in oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users who have undergone gastrointestinal surgery.

Objectives: Oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective in preventing HIV, but its efficacy depends on adequate absorption of drug, which may decrease following gastrointestinal surgery.

Methods: Clinicians across eight Genito-urinary Medicine clinics in the United Kingdom submitted data on PrEP users with history of gastrointestinal surgery who were referred to a national complex PrEP multi-disciplinary team between June 2021 and April 2023. Anonymised data were submitted on demographics, surgical history, PrEP regimen, and results of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and HIV screening tests.

Changes in bodyweight after initiating antiretroviral therapy close to HIV-1 seroconversion: an international cohort collaboration.

Background: Understanding the reasons for and consequences of bodyweight change in people living with HIV initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) is crucial to optimising long-term health and wellbeing. We aimed to examine bodyweight trends and associated factors among individuals with well estimated dates of HIV-1 seroconversion.

Methods: In this cohort study, we pooled retrospective data from clinical records of participants in CASCADE aged 16 years and older recruited from clinics in France, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and Canada.

How women living with HIV in the UK manage infant-feeding decisions and vertical transmission risk - a qualitative study.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that women with HIV breastfeed for a minimum of one year. In contrast, across high-income countries, HIV and infant-feeding guidelines recommend exclusive formula feeding if parents want to avoid all risk of postpartum transmission. However, recently these guidelines (including in the United Kingdom (UK)) increasingly state that individuals with HIV should be supported to breast/chest feed if they meet certain criteria; such as an undetectable maternal HIV viral load and consent to additional clinical monitoring.

Social determinants of health and long-term conditions in people of Black African and Black Caribbean ethnicity living with HIV in London: A qualitative study.

Background: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are disproportionately impacted by socioeconomic deprivation and are at increased risk of developing other long-term conditions (LTCs). These illnesses require transformative action to tackle the adverse effects on their health. Data on lived experiences of LTCs among people living with HIV of Black African and Black Caribbean ethnicities are sparse, and how people with LTCs are impacted by social determinants of health (SDoH).

HIV outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in people of Black ethnicities living with HIV in England.

Objectives: To describe HIV care outcomes in people of Black ethnicities living in England during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) pandemic.

Methods: This was an observational cohort study of people of self-reported Black ethnicities attending for HIV care at nine HIV clinics across England. The primary outcome was a composite of antiretroviral therapy (ART) interruption and HIV viraemia (HIV RNA ≥200 copies/mL) ascertained via self-completed questionnaires and review of medical records.

Associations between social determinants of health and comorbidity and multimorbidity in people of black ethnicities with HIV.

Objective: Social determinants of health (SDH) are important determinants of long-term conditions and multimorbidity in the general population. The intersecting relationship between SDH and multimorbidity in people with HIV remains poorly studied.

Design: A cross-sectional study investigating the relationships between eight socio-economic parameters and prevalent comorbidities of clinical significance and multimorbidity in adults of African ancestry with HIV aged 18-65 years in South London, UK.

"We decided together": a qualitative study about women with HIV navigating infant-feeding decisions with the father of their children.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that women with HIV breastfeed for a minimum of one year. In contrast, United Kingdom (UK) guidelines encourage formula feeding, but breastfeeding can be supported under certain circumstances. Infant-feeding decisions often involve personal and social networks.

Hospital admissions for physical health and psychosocial adversity among people experiencing homelessness in England: a population-based retrospective cross-sectional study.

Background: Homeless health care is often characterised by physical health, mental health, and substance use problems, resulting in high use of emergency care, poor outcomes, and extreme social inequities. We assessed health needs as prevention opportunities for hospitalised people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in England.

Methods: This population-based retrospective cross-sectional study used anonymised national Hospital Episodes Statistics Admitted Patient Care data.

Setting the research agenda: involving parents in research on children who are HIV-free.

Introduction: There is growing interest in health, developmental and survival outcomes of children who are born HIV-free to women living with HIV (children born HIV-free). To date, the research agenda has been largely determined by researchers, funders and policy makers, with limited involvement of parents, who are key stakeholders. Researchers at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in partnership with community-based organisation 4M Network of Mentor Mothers conducted two workshops with parents in March 2022 to establish research priorities for children born HIV-free, and key considerations for methodological approaches both to research and engagement with the affected communities.

A systematic review of qualitative research on recently acquired HIV.

Objectives: Recently acquired HIV is a critical time when people may experience debilitating symptoms and is when they are most likely to pass HIV on. Qualitative research offers insights into lived experiences and a deeper understanding of the contextual factors underlying HIV acquisition. We aimed to synthesize qualitative literature on recently acquired HIV.

Psychosocial support interventions to improve treatment outcomes for people living with tuberculosis: a mixed methods systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: People with tuberculosis (TB) face multi-dimensional barriers when accessing and engaging with care. There is evidence that providing psychosocial support within people-centered models of care can improve TB outcomes, however, there is limited consensus on what works. It remains important for such interventions to be rigorously assessed, and mixed methods systematic reviews are one way of synthesising data for policy makers to be able to access such evidence.

Comorbidities and menopause assessment in women living with HIV: a survey of healthcare providers across the WHO European region.

Women living with HIV are reaching older age and experiencing menopause and age-related comorbidities. Data suggest that women living with HIV experience earlier menopause and more menopausal symptoms and age-related comorbidities compared to women without HIV. However, there are no guidelines on the screening for and management of age-related comorbidities and events in women living with HIV.

CASCADE protocol: exploring current viral and host characteristics, measuring clinical and patient-reported outcomes, and understanding the lived experiences and needs of individuals with recently acquired HIV infection through a multicentre mixed-methods observational study in Europe and Canada.

Introduction: Despite the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and antiretroviral therapy (ART), 21 793 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in Europe in 2019. The Concerted action on seroconversion to AIDS and death in Europe study aims to understand current drivers of the HIV epidemic; factors associated with access to, and uptake of prevention methods and ART initiation; and the experiences, needs and outcomes of people with recently acquired HIV.

Methods And Analysis: This longitudinal observational study is recruiting participants aged ≥16 years with documented laboratory evidence of HIV seroconversion from clinics in Canada and six European countries.

Hospital-based preventative interventions for people experiencing homelessness in high-income countries: A systematic review.

Background: People experiencing homelessness have significant unmet needs and high rates of unplanned care. We aimed to describe preventative interventions, defined in their broadest sense, for people experiencing homelessness in a hospital context. Secondary aims included mapping outcomes and assessing intervention effectiveness.

Understanding the attitudes and experiences of people living with potentially stigmatised long-term health conditions with respect to collecting and sharing health and lifestyle data.

Background: The emerging landscape of patient-generated data (PGData) provides an opportunity to collect large quantities of information that can be used to develop our understanding of different health conditions and potentially improve the quality of life for those living with long-term health condition (LTHCs). If the potential benefits of PGData are to be realised, we need a better understanding of the psychological barriers and facilitators to the collection and beneficial sharing of health and lifestyle data. Due to the understudied role that stigma plays in sharing PGData, we explore the attitudes and experiences of those living with potentially stigmatised LTHCs with respect to collecting and sharing health and lifestyle data.

Obesity in women living with HIV aged 45-60 in England: An analysis of the PRIME study.

Objectives: Menopause contributes to weight gain in women. We explored factors associated with obesity in women with HIV aged 45-60 years.

Methods: The present study is an analysis of cross-sectional questionnaire and clinic data from the Positive Transitions Through the Menopause (PRIME) Study.

Patterns of mental health symptoms among women living with HIV ages 45-60 in England: associations with demographic and clinical factors.

Objective: We aimed to describe the prevalence of various mental health symptoms according to menopausal status (pre, peri, post) among women living with HIV ages 45-60 in England, and to identify groups of women with similar general and menopause-related mental health symptoms. We then investigated demographic predictors of group-membership and group differences in HIV-related care outcomes (antiretroviral therapy adherence, HIV clinic attendance, CD4-count, and last HIV viral load).

Methods: An analysis of cross-sectional data from the Positive Transitions through Menopause study, an observational study of the health and well-being impacts of menopause on 869 women with HIV aged 45-60 years.

Association between health-related quality of life and menopausal status and symptoms in women living with HIV aged 45-60 years in England: An analysis of the PRIME study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the health-related quality of life between mid-life women with HIV and the general population and to investigate the association between health-related quality of life and menopausal (1) status and (2) symptoms among women with HIV.

Methods: Cross-sectional data of women with HIV aged 45-60 years from the Positive Transitions Through the Menopause Study. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Euroqol questionnaire with utility scores categorizing health as perfect (score = 1.