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Sandfort TGM, Kreniske P, Mbeda C, Reynolds D, Tshabalala G, Madiwati B, Ogendo A, Dominquez K, Panchia R, Gondwe D, Hamilton EL, Guo X, Cummings V. Interest in I-PrEP and Willingness to Participate in Clinical Trials Among Men and Transfeminine Persons Who have Sex with Men in Sub-Saharan Africa: Quantitative and Qualitative Findings from HPTN 075. AIDS Behav 2024:10.1007/s10461-024-04334-x. [PMID: 38761334 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-024-04334-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
This study explored interest in injectable PrEP (I-PrEP) and willingness to participate in clinical trials testing new biomedical HIV prevention strategies among men and transfeminine persons who have sex with men (MSM & TGP), using data collected in the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 075 study, which took place at sites in Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa. Data result from a survey among 267 18-44 years old HIV negative participants, complemented with semi-structured interviews with 80 purposively recruited persons. Correlations coefficients were calculated to identify demographic and psychosocial factors associated with interest in I-PrEP. Qualitative interviews were analyzed using concept-driven and subsequent data-driven coding. Most surveyed participants expressed an interest in I-PrEP. Quantitatively, only being interested in other HIV prevention measures was associated with interest in I-PrEP. Qualitatively, most participants preferred I-PrEP to O-PrEP and remained interested in I-PrEP despite barriers such as the somewhat invasive nature of the procedure and potential side effects of I-PrEP. Interest in I-PrEP was driven by the possibility of avoiding sexual or HIV stigma. Access to healthcare and altruism-such as assisting in the development of new HIV prevention methods-positively impacted willingness to participate in clinical trials. With I-PrEP favored by most participants, it is potentially a critical tool to prevent HIV infection among MSM & TGP in sub-Saharan Africa, with the mitigation of stigma as a major advance. Recruitment of MSM & TGP in biobehavioral clinical trials seems feasible, with altruistic reasons and receiving I-PrEP and free medical care as major motivators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodorus G M Sandfort
- HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
| | - Philip Kreniske
- Community Health and Social Sciences Department, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, USA
| | - Calvin Mbeda
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) CDC, Kisumu, Kenya
| | | | - Gugulethu Tshabalala
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Soweto, South Africa
| | | | - Arthur Ogendo
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) CDC, Kisumu, Kenya
| | | | - Ravindre Panchia
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Soweto, South Africa
| | - Daniel Gondwe
- College of Medicine-Johns Hopkins Research Project, Blantyre, Malawi
| | | | - Xu Guo
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Vanessa Cummings
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Kreniske P, Namuyaba OI, Kasumba R, Namatovu P, Ssewamala F, Wingood G, Wei Y, Ybarra ML, Oloya C, Tindyebwa C, Ntulo C, Mujune V, Chang LW, Mellins CA, Santelli JS. Mobile Phone Technology for Preventing HIV and Related Youth Health Problems, Sexual Health, Mental Health, and Substance Use Problems in Southwest Uganda (Youth Health SMS): Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc 2023; 12:e49352. [PMID: 38113102 PMCID: PMC10762611 DOI: 10.2196/49352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND East and Southern Africa have the highest HIV incidence and prevalence in the world, with adolescents and young adults being at the greatest risk. Despite effective combination prevention tools, including the recently available pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), HIV incidence among adolescents and young adults in Uganda remains high, and PrEP use remains low. Mental health and substance use (behavioral health) play a role in sexual behavior and decision-making, contributing to an increase in the risk for acquiring HIV. Interventions that target multiple HIV risk factors, including sexual and mental health and problematic substance use, are crucial to ending the HIV epidemic. Yet few interventions addressing HIV related health disparities and comorbidities among adolescents and young adults in East and Southern Africa currently exist. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of Kirabo, an SMS text message intervention informed by the information, motivation, and behavior model and to be disseminated through secondary schools. The study will gather preliminary estimates of Kirabo's effectiveness in increasing HIV testing and linking users to mental health counselors. METHODS We identified Mobile 4 Reproductive Health for adaptation using the assessment, decision, administration, production, topical experts, integration, training, testing (ADAPT-ITT) framework. Mobile 4 Reproductive Health is an evidence-based automated 2-way SMS text messaging and interactive voice response platform that offers sexual and reproductive health information and links users to HIV clinics in East Africa. Through ADAPT-ITT we refined our approach and created Kirabo, an SMS text message-based intervention for linking adolescents and young adults to health services, including HIV testing and mental health counseling. We will conduct a 2-arm randomized controlled trial in Masaka, Uganda. Adolescents (N=200) will be recruited from local schools. Baseline sociodemographic characteristics, HIV test history, and behavioral health symptoms will be assessed. We will evaluate acceptability and feasibility using surveys, interviews, and mobile phone data. The preliminary efficacy of Kirabo in increasing HIV testing and linking users to mental health counselors will be evaluated immediately after the intervention and at the 3-month follow-up. We will also assess the intervention's impact on self-efficacy in testing for HIV, adopting PrEP, and contacting a mental health counselor. RESULTS Intervention adaptation began in 2019. A pretest was conducted in 2021. The randomized controlled trial, including usability and feasibility assessments and effectiveness measurements, commenced in August 2023. CONCLUSIONS Kirabo is a tool that assists in the efforts to end the HIV epidemic by targeting the health disparities and comorbidities among adolescents in Uganda. The intervention includes local HIV clinic information, PrEP information, and behavioral health screening, with referrals as needed. Increasing access to prevention strategies and mitigating factors that make adolescents and young adults susceptible to HIV acquisition can contribute to global efforts to end the HIV epidemic. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05130151; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05130151. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/49352.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Kreniske
- Community Health and Social Sciences Department, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Robert Kasumba
- Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Phionah Namatovu
- International Center for Child Development, Masaka, Uganda
- Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Fred Ssewamala
- International Center for Child Development, Masaka, Uganda
- Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Gina Wingood
- Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ying Wei
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Michele L Ybarra
- Center for Innovative Public Health Research, San Clemente, CA, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Larry W Chang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Claude A Mellins
- HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - John S Santelli
- Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
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Khalifa A, Ssekubugu R, Lessler J, Wawer M, Santelli JS, Hoffman S, Nalugoda F, Lutalo T, Ndyanabo A, Ssekasanvu J, Kigozi G, Kagaayi J, Chang LW, Grabowski MK. Implications of rapid population growth on survey design and HIV estimates in the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS), Uganda. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e071108. [PMID: 37495389 PMCID: PMC10373715 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Since rapid population growth challenges longitudinal population-based HIV cohorts in Africa to maintain coverage of their target populations, this study evaluated whether the exclusion of some residents due to growing population size biases key HIV metrics like prevalence and population-level viremia. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Data were obtained from the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS) in south central Uganda, an open population-based cohort which began excluding some residents of newly constructed household structures within its surveillance boundaries in 2008. The study includes adults aged 15-49 years who were censused from 2019 to 2020. MEASURES We fit ensemble machine learning models to RCCS census and survey data to predict HIV seroprevalence and viremia (prevalence of those with viral load >1000 copies/mL) in the excluded population and evaluated whether their inclusion would change overall estimates. RESULTS Of the 24 729 census-eligible residents, 2920 (12%) residents were excluded from the RCCS because they were living in new households. The predicted seroprevalence for these excluded residents was 10.8% (95% CI: 9.6% to 11.8%)-somewhat lower than 11.7% (95% CI: 11.2% to 12.3%) in the observed sample. Predicted seroprevalence for younger excluded residents aged 15-24 years was 4.9% (95% CI: 3.6% to 6.1%)-significantly higher than that in the observed sample for the same age group (2.6% (95% CI: 2.2% to 3.1%)), while predicted seroprevalence for older excluded residents aged 25-49 years was 15.0% (95% CI: 13.3% to 16.4%)-significantly lower than their counterparts in the observed sample (17.2% (95% CI: 16.4% to 18.1%)). Over all ages, the predicted prevalence of viremia in excluded residents (3.7% (95% CI: 3.0% to 4.5%)) was significantly higher than that in the observed sample (1.7% (95% CI: 1.5% to 1.9%)), resulting in a higher overall population-level viremia estimate of 2.1% (95% CI: 1.8% to 2.4%). CONCLUSIONS Exclusion of residents in new households may modestly bias HIV viremia estimates and some age-specific seroprevalence estimates in the RCCS. Overall, HIV seroprevalence estimates were not significantly affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleya Khalifa
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA
- ICAP, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robert Ssekubugu
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo, Uganda
- Department of Global and Sexual Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Justin Lessler
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Maria Wawer
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo, Uganda
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - John S Santelli
- Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA
| | - Susie Hoffman
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- HIV Centre for Clinical and Behavioural Studies, Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Tom Lutalo
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo, Uganda
| | | | - Joseph Ssekasanvu
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo, Uganda
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | - Larry W Chang
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo, Uganda
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Mary Kathryn Grabowski
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo, Uganda
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Nabunya P, Sensoy Bahar O, Neilands TB, Nakasujja N, Namatovu P, Namuwonge F, Mwebembezi A, Ssewamala FM. Bridges-Round 2: A study protocol to examine the longitudinal HIV risk prevention and care continuum outcomes among orphaned youth transitioning to young adulthood. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284572. [PMID: 37163564 PMCID: PMC10171655 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Youth orphaned by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa experience immense hardships including social disadvantage, adverse childhood events and limited economic prospects. These adversities disrupt the normative developmental milestones and can gravely compromise their health and emotional wellbeing. The Bridges to the Future study (2012-2018) prospectively followed 1,383 adolescents, between 10-16 years, to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a family-based economic empowerment intervention comprising of child development accounts, financial literacy training, family income generating activities and peer mentorship. Study findings show efficacy of this contextually-driven intervention significantly improving mental health, school retention and performance and sexual health. However, critical questions, such as those related to the longitudinal impact of economic empowerment on HIV prevention and engagement in care remain. This paper presents a protocol for the follow-up phase titled, Bridges Round 2. METHODS The Original Bridges study participants will be tracked for an additional four years (2022-2026) to examine the longitudinal developmental and behavioral health outcomes and potential mechanisms of the effect of protective health behaviors of the Bridges cohort. The study will include a new qualitative component to examine participants' experiences with the intervention, the use of biomedical data to provide the most precise results of the highly relevant, but currently unknown sexual health outcomes among study participants, as well as a cost-benefit analysis to inform policy and scale-up. DISCUSSION Study findings may contribute to the scientific knowledge for low-resource communities on the potential value of providing modest economic resources to vulnerable boys and girls during childhood and early adolescence and how these resources may offer long-term protection against known HIV risks, poor mental health functioning and improve treatment among the HIV treatment care continuum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Proscovia Nabunya
- International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States of America
- International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), Uganda Field Office, Masaka, Uganda
| | - Ozge Sensoy Bahar
- International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States of America
- International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), Uganda Field Office, Masaka, Uganda
| | - Torsten B. Neilands
- Department of Medicine, Division of Prevention Science, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Noeline Nakasujja
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Phionah Namatovu
- International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), Uganda Field Office, Masaka, Uganda
| | - Flavia Namuwonge
- International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States of America
- International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), Uganda Field Office, Masaka, Uganda
| | | | - Fred M. Ssewamala
- International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States of America
- International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), Uganda Field Office, Masaka, Uganda
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Moore EV, Hirsch JS, Nakyanjo N, Nakubulwa R, Morse-Karzen B, Daniel L, Spindler E, Nalugoda F, Santelli JS. The negative health spillover effects of universal primary education policy: Ethnographic evidence from Uganda. Glob Public Health 2023; 18:2221973. [PMID: 37305987 PMCID: PMC10357409 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2023.2221973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Scholars of global health have embraced universal education as a structural intervention to prevent HIV. Yet the costs of school, including fees and other ancillary costs, create an economic burden for students and their families, indicating both the challenge of realising the potential of education for preventing HIV and the ways in which the desire for education may produce vulnerabilities to HIV for those struggling to afford it. To explore this paradox, this article draws from collaborative, team-based ethnographic research conducted from June to August 2019 in the Rakai district of Uganda. Respondents reported that education is the most significant cost burden faced by Ugandan families, sometimes amounting to as much as 66% of yearly household budgets per student. Respondents further understood paying for children's schooling as both a legal requirement and a valued social goal, and they pointed to men's labour migrations to high HIV-prevalence communities and women's participation in sex work as strategies to achieve that. Building from regional evidence showing young East African women participate in transactional, intergenerational sex to secure school fees for themselves, our findings point to the negative health spillover effects of Uganda's universal schooling policies for the whole family.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer S Hirsch
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Lee Daniel
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Esther Spindler
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - John S Santelli
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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Hendricks LA, Young T, Van Wyk SS, Matheï C, Hannes K. Storyboarding HIV Infected Young People's Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy in Lower- to Upper Middle-Income Countries: A New-Materialist Qualitative Evidence Synthesis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:11317. [PMID: 36141589 PMCID: PMC9517626 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Young people living with perinatal infections of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (YLPHIV) face a chronic disease, with treatment including adherence to lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART). The aim of this QES was to explore adherence to ART for YLPHIV as an assemblage within the framework of the biopsychosocial model with a new materialist perspective. We searched up to November 2021 and followed the ENTREQ and Cochrane guidelines for QES. All screening, data extraction, and critical appraisal were done in duplicate. We analysed and interpreted the findings innovatively by creating images of meaning, a storyboard, and storylines. We then reported the findings in a first-person narrative story. We included 47 studies and identified 9 storylines. We found that treatment adherence has less to do with humans' preferences, motivations, needs, and dispositions and more to do with how bodies, viruses, things, ideas, institutions, environments, social processes, and social structures assemble. This QES highlights that adherence to ART for YLPHIV is a multisensorial experience in a multi-agentic world. Future research into rethinking the linear and casual inferences we are accustomed to in evidence-based health care is needed if we are to adopt multidisciplinary approaches to address pressing issues such as adherence to ART.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn A. Hendricks
- Centre for Evidence Based Health Care, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 3000, South Africa
- Research Group SoMeTHin’K (Social, Methodological and Theoretical Innovation/Kreative), Faculty of Social Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Taryn Young
- Centre for Evidence Based Health Care, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 3000, South Africa
| | - Susanna S. Van Wyk
- Centre for Evidence Based Health Care, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 3000, South Africa
| | - Catharina Matheï
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karin Hannes
- Research Group SoMeTHin’K (Social, Methodological and Theoretical Innovation/Kreative), Faculty of Social Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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Okiring J, Getahun M, Gutin SA, Lebu S, Lee J, Maeri I, Eyul P, Bukusi EA, Cohen CR, Neilands TB, Ssali S, Charlebois ED, Camlin CS. Sexual partnership concurrency and age disparities associated with sexually transmitted infection and risk behavior in rural communities in Kenya and Uganda. Int J Infect Dis 2022; 120:158-167. [PMID: 35472527 PMCID: PMC9984205 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.04.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We examined sex-specific associations of partner age disparity and relationship concurrency with Neisseria gonorrhoeae and/or Chlamydia trachomatis (NG/CT) infection, higher-risk relationships, and condom use as proxies for HIV risk. METHODS Data were collected in 2016 from 2179 adults in 12 communities in Uganda and Kenya. Logistic regression models examined associations of age disparity and relationship concurrency with NG/CT infection, condom use, and higher-risk (commercial sex and other higher-risk) relationships in the past 6 months, controlling for covariates. RESULTS Partner age and relationship concurrency were associated with NG/CT infection in women but not men. Relative to women in age-disparate relationships, women in both age-disparate and age-homogeneous relationships had higher odds of NG/CT infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=3.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.46-9.98). Among men and women, partnership concurrency was associated with higher-risk partnerships. In addition, relative to those with a single age-homogeneous partner, those with concurrent age-homogeneous partners had higher odds of condom use (men: aOR=2.85, 95% CI: 1.89-4.31; women: aOR=2.99, 95% CI: 1.52-5.89). Concurrent age-disparate partnerships were associated with condom use among men only (aOR=4.02, 95% CI: 2.54-6.37). CONCLUSION Findings underscore the importance of targeted HIV prevention efforts for couples in age-disparate and concurrent relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaffer Okiring
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Plot 2C Nakasero Hill Road, P.O. Box 7475, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Monica Getahun
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, 1330 Broadway, Ste. 1100, Oakland CA 94612, USA
| | - Sarah A Gutin
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Sarah Lebu
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, 1330 Broadway, Ste. 1100, Oakland CA 94612, USA
| | - Joi Lee
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, 1330 Broadway, Ste. 1100, Oakland CA 94612, USA
| | - Irene Maeri
- Centre for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 54840 00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Patrick Eyul
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Plot 2C Nakasero Hill Road, P.O. Box 7475, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Elizabeth A Bukusi
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, 1330 Broadway, Ste. 1100, Oakland CA 94612, USA; Centre for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, P.O. Box 54840 00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Craig R Cohen
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, 1330 Broadway, Ste. 1100, Oakland CA 94612, USA
| | - Torsten B Neilands
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Sarah Ssali
- School of Women and Gender Studies, Makerere University, Pool Road, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Edwin D Charlebois
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Carol S Camlin
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, 1330 Broadway, Ste. 1100, Oakland CA 94612, USA; Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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8
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Kreniske P, Nalugoda F, Chen I, Huang R, Wei Y, Chang L, Ssekubugu R, Lutalo T, Kigozi G, Kagaayi J, Sewankambo N, Grabowski MK, Gray R, Serwadda D, Santelli J. Brief Report: Mobile Phones, Sexual Behaviors, and HIV Incidence in Rakai, Uganda, From 2010 to 2018. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2022; 89:361-365. [PMID: 34974468 PMCID: PMC8881316 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000002894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest HIV incidence and prevalence in the world. In the past decade, mobile phone ownership has doubled, affecting social and sexual practices. Using longitudinal follow-up data, this study examined whether mobile phone ownership was associated with sexual behaviors and HIV incidence for youth and adults. METHODS The Rakai Community Cohort Study gathers demographic and sexual health information and conducts HIV testing among an open cohort in southcentral Uganda every 12-18 months. RESULTS Of the 10,618 participants, 58% owned a mobile phone, 69% lived in rural locations, and 77% were sexually active. Analyses were adjusted for time, location, religion, and socioeconomic status. Phone ownership was associated with increased odds of ever having had sex act for 15- to 19-year-olds [men adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.12, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.78 to 2.52; women AOR: 3.20, 95% CI: 2.45 to 4.17]. Among sexually active participants, owning a phone was associated with increased odds of having 2 or more concurrent sex partners (15- to 24-year-old men AOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.34 to 2.32; 25 to 49-year-old men: AOR 1.81, 95% CI: 1.54 to 2.13; 25- to 49-year-old women AOR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.32 to 2.49). For men, phone ownership was associated with increased odds of circumcision (15- to 24-year-old men AOR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.41; 25- to 49-year-old men AOR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.24). Phone ownership was not associated with HIV incidence. CONCLUSION Although mobile phone ownership was associated with sexual risk behaviors, it was not associated with increased risk of HIV acquisition. Research should continue exploring how phones can be used for reducing sexual health risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Kreniske
- HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York, NY
- Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Fred Nalugoda
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo and Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Ivy Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Rui Huang
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Ying Wei
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Larry Chang
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Tom Lutalo
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo and Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Godfrey Kigozi
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo and Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Joseph Kagaayi
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo and Entebbe, Uganda
| | | | | | - Ronald Gray
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD; and
| | | | - John Santelli
- Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
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Kreniske P, Basmajian A, Nakyanjo N, Ddaaki W, Isabirye D, Ssekyewa C, Nakubulwa R, Hirsch JS, Deisher A, Nalugoda F, Chang LW, Santelli JS. The Promise and Peril of Mobile Phones for Youth in Rural Uganda: Multimethod Study of Implications for Health and HIV. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23:e17837. [PMID: 33528375 PMCID: PMC7886611 DOI: 10.2196/17837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In East Africa, where landlines are used by 1% of the population and access to the internet is limited, owning a cell phone is rapidly becoming essential for acquiring information and resources. Our analysis illuminates the perils and potential promise of mobile phones with implications for future interventions to promote the health of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and to prevent HIV infection. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to describe the current state of AYAs' phone use in the region and trace out the implications for mobile health interventions. METHODS We identified 2 trading centers that were representative of southern Uganda in terms of key demographics, proportion of cell phone ownership, and community HIV prevalence. We stratified the sample of potential informants by age group (15-19 years and 20-24 years), gender, and phone ownership and randomly sampled 31 key informant interview participants within these categories. In addition, we conducted 24 ethnographic participant observations among AYAs in the communities of study. RESULTS AYA frequently reported barriers to using their phones, such as difficulty accessing electricity. Nearly all AYAs used mobile phones to participate in the local economy and communicate with sexual partners. Phone use was frequently a point of contention between sexual partners, with many AYAs reporting that their sexual partners associated phone use with infidelity. Few AYAs reported using their phones for health-related purposes, with most getting health information in person from health workers. However, most AYAs reported an instance when they used their phone in an emergency, with childbirth-related emergencies being the most common. Finally, most AYAs reported that they would like to use their phones for health purposes and specifically stated that they would like to use their mobile phones to access current HIV prevention information. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates how mobile phones are related to income-generating practices in the region and communication with sexual partners but not access to health and HIV information. Our analysis offers some explanation for our previous study, which suggested an association between mobile phone ownership, having multiple sexual partners, and HIV risk. Mobile phones have untapped potential to serve as tools for health promotion and HIV prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Kreniske
- HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Alyssa Basmajian
- Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jennifer S Hirsch
- Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Andrea Deisher
- Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Larry W Chang
- Rakai Health Sciences Program, Kalisizo, Uganda.,Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - John S Santelli
- Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Pediatrics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
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