Epidemiological considerations in transgender health: A systematic review with focus on higher quality data.

High quality data pertaining to the size of the transgender and gender diverse (TGD) population are scant, however, several recently published studies may provide more reliable contemporary estimates. To summarize the estimated number and proportion of TGD individuals overall and across age groups, based on most accurate data. This systematic review focused on recent studies (published from 2009 through 2019) that utilized sound methodology in assessing the proportion of TGD people in the general population.

Size and Distribution of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Populations: A Narrative Review.

Accurate estimates of the number and proportion of transgender and gender nonconforming people in a population are necessary for developing data-based policy and for planning and funding of health care delivery and research. The wide range of estimates reported in the literature is attributable primarily to differences in definitions. Other sources of variability include diverse cultural and geographic settings and important secular trends.

Mobile supervised consumption services in Rural British Columbia: lessons learned.

Background: In 2016, a public health emergency was declared in British Columbia due to an unprecedented number of illicit drug overdose deaths. Injection drug use was implicated in approximately one third of overdose deaths. An innovative delivery model using mobile supervised consumption services (SCS) was piloted in a rural health authority in BC with the goals of preventing overdose deaths, reducing public drug use, and connecting clients to health services.

Factors associated with delayed and late ART initiation among people living with HIV in BC: results from the engage study.

We examined correlates of late and delayed initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in British Columbia, Canada. From December 2013 to December 2015 we recruited treatment-naïve people living with HIV who initiated ART within the previous year. 'Late initiation' was defined as CD4 cell count ≤500 cells/µL at ART initiation and 'delayed initiation' as ≥1 year between HIV diagnosis and initiation.

Drug checking at an electronic dance music festival during the public health overdose emergency in British Columbia.

Setting: Shambhala is a 5-day electronic dance music (EDM) festival held in rural British Columbia that annually hosts between 15,000 and 18,000 people on a 500-acre ranch. The AIDS Network Outreach & Support Society (ANKORS) has provided harm reduction services throughout the duration of the festival since 2003, including point-of-care drug checking, which allows real-time testing of illicit substances to assess their composition. Drug checking results are provided directly to clients and displayed in aggregate on a screen for all attendees to see.

Expanding harm reduction to include fentanyl urine testing: results from a pilot in rural British Columbia.

Background: Harm reduction has been at the forefront of the response to the opioid overdose public health emergency in British Columbia (BC). The unprecedented number of opioid overdose deaths in the province calls for an expansion of harm reduction services. The purpose of this study was to determine the acceptability of a fentanyl urine drug test among people who use drugs (PWUD) and explore whether testing introduced any changes in participants' attitudes and behaviors towards their drug use.

The additive effects of depressive symptoms and polysubstance use on HIV risk among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Introduction: Among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM), collinearity between polysubstance use and mental health concerns has obscured their combined effects on HIV risk with multivariable results often highlighting only one or the other.

Methods: We used mediation and moderation analyses to examine the effects of polysubstance use and depressive symptoms on high-risk sex (i.e.

When Gender Identity Doesn't Equal Sex Recorded at Birth: The Role of the Laboratory in Providing Effective Healthcare to the Transgender Community.

Background: Transgender is an umbrella term used to describe individuals who identify with a gender incongruent to or variant from their sex recorded at birth. Affirming gender identity through a variety of social, medical, and surgical interventions is critical to the mental health of transgender individuals. In recent years, awareness surrounding transgender identities has increased, which has highlighted the health disparities that parallel this demographic.

Lifetime Doctor-Diagnosed Mental Health Conditions and Current Substance Use Among Gay and Bisexual Men Living in Vancouver, Canada.

Background: Studies have found that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) have higher rates of mental health conditions and substance use than heterosexual men, but are limited by issues of representativeness.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and correlates of mental health disorders among GBM in Metro Vancouver, Canada.

Methods: From 2012 to 2014, the Momentum Health Study recruited GBM (≥16 years) via respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to estimate population parameters.

HIV Community Viral Load and Factors Associated With Elevated Viremia Among a Community-Based Sample of Men Who Have Sex With Men in Vancouver, Canada.

Background: We developed estimates of community viral load (VL) and risk factors for unsuppressed VL from a cross-sectional study of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vancouver, Canada.

Methods: MSM were recruited from February 25, 2012 to February 28, 2014 using respondent-driven sampling (RDS). Participants completed a computer-assisted self-interview questionnaire and a nurse-administered point-of-care HIV test.

Unstable housing, associated risk behaviour, and increased risk for HIV infection among injection drug users.

We sought to examine the relationship between housing status and risk of HIV-infection among injection drug users in Vancouver, Canada. Using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, we found an elevated HIV incidence rate among those who reported residing in unstable housing (log-rank p=0.006).