Suchergebnisse

Three decades into the epidemic, a great deal is known about HIV and its transmission, more people are living with the disease, and the virus is no longer seen as a death sentence. But new people continue to be infected with HIV each year, making prevention strategies that are medically effective and behaviorally engaging as urgent a priority as ever. Biomedical Advances in HIV Prevention: Social and Behavioral Perspectives assembles the latest improvements, barriers to implementation, and possibilities for--and challenges to--future progress. Innovations such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (antiretroviral regimens for the high-risk uninfected) and treatment as prevention (early use of ART to reduce infectiousness of new patients) are examined, as are current findings on ongoing prevention and treatment concerns. Contributors illuminate the complex realities entailing adherence, pointing out technological, behavioral, and cultural roadblocks as well as opportunities to significantly reduce infection rates. --

AbstractIntroduction: Pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) offers as much as 90% protection against HIV transmission. However, the effectiveness of PrEP depends on uptake and adherence to even intermittent dosing. Along with intoxication leading to unintentional non‐adherence, believing that alcohol mixed with pharmaceuticals is harmful (i.e., interactive toxicity beliefs) may lead to poor uptake and intentional non‐adherence.Methods: HIV‐negative sexually active men who have sex with men (N = 272) at a large Gay Pride event in Atlanta, GA, completed anonymous surveys of demographic characteristics, sexual behaviour, alcohol use and PrEP‐related alcohol interactive toxicity beliefs.Results: A total of 118 (43%) men surveyed had two or more male sex partners and condomless anal sex in the previous six months. Alcohol use was reported by over 90% of men and it was common for participants to believe that mixing alcohol and antiretrovirals is toxic; 75% endorsed at least one interactive toxicity belief. Among the 118 men who had engaged in condomless anal sex and had multiple sex partners, one in three stated that they were not interested in PrEP and men not interested in PrEP were significantly more likely to binge drink and hold interactive toxicity beliefs.Conclusions: These results mirror studies that find interactive toxicity beliefs are a potent predictor of intentional antiretroviral non‐adherence among people living with HIV and suggest interactive toxicity beliefs may impede PrEP uptake and adherence. Messages to increase PrEP awareness and adherence may also take steps to counter erroneous beliefs about mixing alcohol with antiretrovirals in the context of PrEP.

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) is potentially severe for individuals with compromised immune systems, including people living with HIV. Along with the direct health threats of COVID-19, there are disruptions to social relationships and health services resulting from mitigation efforts instituted by public health authorities. This study examined the relationship between trust in the government and trust in COVID-19 health information from the US CDC, state health departments, and social media on the experience of COVID-19 social and health services-related disruptions. METHODS: People living with HIV (N = 459) recruited through social media advertisements and chain referrals completed confidential surveys delivered through an online platform. RESULTS: Participants experienced high-levels of disruptions to social relationships and health services attributable to COVID-19 mitigation efforts. We also observed high-rates of inaccurate information and low-levels of trust in government and sources of COVID-19 information. Greater disruptions to social relationships were predicted by more concern about oneself and others contracting COVID-19, whereas disruptions to health services were predicted by greater concern for oneself contracting COVID-19, greater general medical mistrust, and less trust in information from the CDC. CONCLUSIONS: Findings have implications for the necessity of rebuilding public trust in credible sources of health information and stepping up efforts to counter sources of inaccurate information. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-10856-z.