Modeling the Burden of Extreme Weather Events in a Large Network of International HIV Care Cohorts

Background:Despite the availability of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy in the United States, only 30% of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in the US are virally suppressed. Nonadherence to ARVs remains the strongest correlate of viral suppression. African Americans (AA) living with HIV/AIDS remain disproportionately affected by this disease, and studies report a greater proportion of infections and deaths among this group.Objective:Earlier studies by this team and others have shown that health literacy (HL) may negatively influence disparities in health behaviors, including management of ARV prescriptions, between AA and non-AA PLWH. This current study expands these findings and tests whether HL may explain disparities in medication management among AA and non-AA PLWH and includes important covariates and measures of participants' actual medication regimens.Methods:PLWH were recruited from HIV care clinics in the greater metropolitan area of Atlanta, GA, and completed a face-to-face study visit. A total of 699 PLWH, 65% of whom were AA, completed this study visit. Assessment of knowledge and management of participants' actual medication regimens showed highly skewed responses, demonstrating accurate verbal descriptions of ARV prescription instructions. A measure of problem-solving (how to manage a mock ARV regimen) showed significantly different performance by race and that HL measures (both reading comprehension and numeracy) mediated this relationship.Key Results:Findings suggest that although PLWH may be able to verbally explain how they are supposed to take their ARV medication, challenges may arise with management issues (eg, determining need for a refill, counting pills to determine if a dose was missed) and that PLWH with low HL (who are disproportionately AA) may be at greater risk for mistakes. Other characteristics, such as cognitive impairment, were also shown to influence medication management.Conclusion:Attention to PLWH's potential for mismanagement of ARV and other medications is important to identify for educational interventions. [Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2018;2(4):e205–e213.]Plain Language Summary:This study tested if problems with taking medicine to treat HIV may be caused by poor reading and math skills. Even though most people were able to correctly say how they should take their HIV pills, knowing if they had missed a pill or counting out a week's number of pills was harder for those with lower reading and math skills.

ARV medication adherence and the quality of life in PLWHA are still low and most PLWHA have not joined a peer support group. This study aims to provide a comparative study of medication adherence and quality of life among people with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who joined and did not join a peer support group. The data of 39 PLWHA were collected from hospital in Madura, Indonesia. The independent variables measured include PLWHA who joined and did not join a peer support group, and the dependent variables included adherence to taking ARV drugs and quality of life for PLWHA. The medication adherence level and quality of life PLWA who joined a peer support group were better than who didn’t. Further studies are recommended to understand expected about other factors such as differences in medication adherence and quality of life in PLWHA with Drug Drinking Companions (PMO) or with family support. Keywords: PLWH, Quality of Life, Medication adherence, Peer support group

HIV care and treatment settings provide an opportunity to reach people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) with prevention messages and services. Population-based surveys in sub-Saharan Africa have identified HIV risk behaviors among PLHIV, yet data are limited regarding HIV risk behaviors of PLHIV in clinical care. This paper describes the baseline sociodemographic, HIV transmission risk behaviors, and clinical data of a study evaluating an HIV prevention intervention package for HIV care and treatment clinics in Africa. The study was a longitudinal group-randomized trial in 9 intervention clinics and 9 comparison clinics in Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania (N = 3538). Baseline participants were mostly female, married, had less than a primary education, and were relatively recently diagnosed with HIV. Fifty-two percent of participants had a partner of negative or unknown status, 24% were not using condoms consistently, and 11% reported STI symptoms in the last 6 months. There were differences in demographic and HIV transmission risk variables by country, indicating the need to consider local context in designing studies and using caution when generalizing findings across African countries. Baseline data from this study indicate that participants were often engaging in HIV transmission risk behaviors, which supports the need for prevention with PLHIV (PwP).Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01256463

Potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV from a death sentence to a chronic illness. Accordingly, the goal of HIV care has shifted from delaying death to achieving optimal health outcomes through ART treatment. ART treatment success hinges on medication adherence. Extensive research has demonstrated that the primary barriers to ART adherence include mental illness, especially depression and substance abuse, as well as histories of traumatic experiences such as childhood sexual and physical abuse. These psychosocial factors are highly prevalent in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and predict poor ART adherence, increased sexual risk behaviours, ART treatment failure, HIV disease progression and higher mortality rates. The efficacy of standard mental health interventions, such as antidepressant treatment and psychotherapy, has been well-defined, and a small but growing body of research demonstrates the potential for such interventions to improve ART adherence and reduce sexual risk behaviours. Despite this evidence, mental disorders in PLWHA frequently go undiagnosed and untreated. Challenges to the provision of mental healthcare for PLWHA in HIV clinical settings include time and resource constraints, lack of expertise in psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, and lack of available mental health referral services. Future research should prioritize the evaluation of mental health interventions that are cost-effective and feasible for widespread integration into HIV clinical care; the impact of such interventions on ART adherence and clinical outcomes; and interventions to identify individuals with histories of traumatic experiences and to elucidate the mechanisms through which such histories pose barriers to effective HIV treatment.

IntroductionIntegration of services to screen and manage mental health and substance use disorders (MSDs) into HIV care settings has been identified as a promising strategy to improve mental health and HIV treatment outcomes among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). Data on the extent to which HIV treatment sites in LMICs screen and manage MSDs are limited. The objective of this study was to assess practices for screening and treatment of MSDs at HIV clinics in LMICs participating in the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium.MethodsWe surveyed a stratified random sample of 95 HIV clinics in 29 LMICs in the Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia‐Pacific and sub‐Saharan Africa. The survey captured information onsite characteristics and screening and treatment practices for depression, post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorders (SUDs) and other mental health disorders.ResultsMost sites (n = 76, 80%) were in urban areas. Mental health screening varied by disorder: 57% of sites surveyed screened for depression, 19% for PTSD, 55% for SUDs and 29% for other mental health disorders. Depression, PTSD, SUDs and other mental health disorders were reported as managed on site (having services provided at the HIV clinic or same health facility) at 70%, 51%, 41% and 47% of sites respectively. Combined availability of screening and on‐site management of depression, PTSD, and SUDs, and other mental health disorders was reported by 42%, 14%, 26% and 19% of sites, respectively. On‐site management of depression and PTSD was reported significantly less often in rural as compared to urban settings (depression: 33% and 78% respectively; PTSD: 24% and 58% respectively). Screening for depression and SUDs was least commonly reported by HIV programmes that treated only children as compared to HIV programmes that treated only adults or treated both adults and children.ConclusionsSignificant gaps exist in the management of MSDs in HIV care settings in LMICs, particularly in rural settings. Identification and evaluation of optimal implementation strategies to scale and sustain integrated MSDs and HIV care is needed.

One of the supports that People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) can provide each other is the encouragement to take medicine. Medication adherence and not resisting therapy are very important for PLWHA to maintain their immune system, suppress viral replication, and improve quality of life. This study aimed to determine whether there was a relationship between peer support and anti-retroviral (ARV) medication adherence among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). . The study was conducted in August 2020. The research design used was a correlational study using a cross-sectional approach. The sampling technique used was total sampling. The respondents in this study were PLWHA who are at Cahaya Kasih Peduli AIDS Foundation, WPA Turen n = 45. The variables studied were peer support as the independent variable and medication adherence as the dependent variable. The data collection technique used was a questionnaireThe data analysis method used was the Spearman Rank correlation test using SPSS 25 with a significance of p <0.05. From this study, it was found that 20 (44.4%) for good peer support, 25 (55.6%) for sufficient peer support 13 (28.9%) had high adherence to taking medication, 15 (33.3%) had moderate adherence, and 17 (37.8%) had low adherence. The results of statistical tests in this study showed no significant relationship between peer support and medication adherence to People Living with HIV/AIDS at Cahaya Kasih Peduli AIDS Foundation, WPA Turen, with a significance value of p-value = 0.313. It was found that there is no relation between peer support and medication adherence to PLWHA at the Cahaya Kasih Peduli AIDS Foundation, Turen. Respondents are always expected to pay attention to their medication schedule and be more active in socializing and providing mutual support to fellow PLWHA.
 Keywords: Peer Support, Medication Adherence, People Living with HIV / AIDS (PLWHA)

BackgroundSmoking rates remain high in Vietnam, particularly among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH), but tobacco cessation services are not available in outpatient HIV clinics (OPCs). The research team is conducting a type II hybrid randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the cost-effectiveness of three tobacco cessation interventions among PLWH receiving care in HIV clinics in Vietnam. The study is simultaneously evaluating the implementation processes and outcomes of strategies aimed at increasing the implementation of tobacco dependence treatment (TDT) in the context of HIV care. This paper describes the systematic, theory-driven process of adapting intervention components and implementation strategies with demonstrated effectiveness in high-income countries, and more recently in Vietnam, to a new population (i.e., PLWH) and new clinical setting, prior to launching the trial.MethodsData collection and analyses were guided by two implementation science frameworks and the socio-ecological model. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 health care providers and 24 patients in three OPCs. Workflow analyses were conducted in each OPC. Qualitative data were analyzed using rapid qualitative analysis procedures. Based on findings, components of the intervention and implementation strategies were adapted, followed by a 3-month pilot study in one OPC with 16 patients randomized to one of two intervention arms.ResultsThe primary adaptations included modifying the TDT intervention counseling content to address barriers to quitting among PLWH and Vietnamese sociocultural norms that support smoking cessation. Implementation strategies (i.e., training and system changes) were adapted to respond to provider- and clinic-level determinants of implementation effectiveness (e.g., knowledge gaps, OPC resource constraints, staffing structure, compatibility).ConclusionsAdaptations were facilitated through a mixed method, stakeholder (patient and health care provider, district health leader)-engaged evaluation of context-specific influences on intervention and implementation effectiveness. This data-driven approach to refining and adapting components aimed to optimize intervention effectiveness and implementation in the context of HIV care. Balancing pragmatism with rigor through the use of rapid analysis procedures and multiple methods increased the feasibility of the adaptation process.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05162911. Registered on December 16, 2021.

The opioid epidemic has had a significant, negative impact in the United States, and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) represent a vulnerable sub-population that is at risk for negative sequela from prolonged opioid use or opioid use disorder (OUD). PLWHA are known to suffer from HIV-related pain and are commonly treated with opioids, leading to subsequent addictive disorders. PLWHA and OUD are at an increased risk for attrition in the HIV care continuum, including suboptimal HIV laboratory testing, delayed entry into HIV care, and initiation or adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Barriers to OUD treatment, such as medication-assisted therapy, are also apparent for PLWHA with OUD, particularly those living in rural areas. Additionally, PLWHA and OUD are at a high risk for serious drug–drug interactions through antiretroviral-opioid metabolic pathway-related inhibition/induction, or via the human ether-a-go-go-related gene potassium ion channel pathways. HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders can also be potentiated by the off-target inflammatory effects of opioid use. PLWHA and OUD might require more intensive, individualized protocols to sustain treatment for the underlying opioid addiction, as well as to provide proactive social support to aid in improving patient outcomes. Advancements in the understanding and management of PLWHA and OUD are needed to improve patient care. This review describes the effects of prescription and non-prescription opioid use in PLWHA.

BackgroundWith expanded and sustained availability of HIV treatment resulting in substantial improvements in life expectancy, the need to address modifiable risk factors associated with leading causes of death among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH), such as tobacco smoking, has increased. Tobacco use is highly prevalent among PLWH, especially in southern Africa, where HIV is heavily concentrated, and many people who smoke would like to quit but are unable to do so without assistance. SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment) is a well-established evidence-based approach successful at supporting smoking cessation in a variety of settings. Varenicline is efficacious in supporting smoking cessation. We intend to assess the effectiveness of SBIRT and varenicline on smoking cessation among PLWH in Botswana and the effectiveness of our implementation.MethodsBSMART (Botswana Smoking Abstinence Reinforcement Trial) is a stepped-wedge, cluster randomized, hybrid Type 2 effectiveness-implementation study guided by the RE-AIM framework, to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of an SBIRT intervention consisting of the 5As compared to an enhanced standard of care. SBIRT will be delivered by trained lay health workers (LHWs), followed by referral to treatment with varenicline prescribed and monitored by trained nurse prescribers in a network of outpatient HIV care facilities. Seven hundred and fifty people living with HIV who smoke daily and have been receiving HIV care and treatment at one of 15 health facilities will be recruited if they are up to 18 years of age and willing to provide informed consent to participate in the study.DiscussionBSMART tests a scalable approach to achieve and sustain smoking abstinence implemented in a sustainable way. Integrating an evidence-based approach such as SBIRT, into an HIV care system presents an important opportunity to establish and evaluate a modifiable cancer prevention strategy in a middle-income country (MIC) setting where both LHW and non-physician clinicians are widely used. The findings, including the preliminary cost-effectiveness, will provide evidence to guide the Botswanan government and similar countries as they strive to provide affordable smoking cessation support at scale.Clinical trial registrationNCT05694637 Registered on 7 December 2022 on clinicaltrials.gov, https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?locStr=Botswana&country=Botswana&cond=Smoking%20Cessation&intr=SBIRT

BackgroundPersons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who are not engaged in HIV medical care are at greater risk for adverse individual health outcomes, as well as potential transmission to others. Thus, detecting and re-engaging PLWHA who are not in care is a public health priority. Unplanned hospitalizations or Emergency Department (ED) visits provide a potential opportunity to re-engage PLWHA who are out of care. Our Data-to-Care (D2C) pilot project was launched in July 2016 to identify PLWHA in the ED and inpatient settings and subsequently, establish re-engagement in HIV care (RIC) among those out of care.MethodsOur D2C program leverages electronic health records (EHR) as a mechanism to identify PLWHA and support RIC. An Infectious Diseases social worker (SW) generates an EHR-based report daily to identify PLWHA in the hospital in near real-time, then determines whether a patient currently receives HIV care. If not, the SW meets with the patient to determine needs, insurance status, schedules an HIV care appointment, and provides referrals for wraparound services. SW subsequently confirmed attendance at HIV care appointment. RIC was defined as attending an HIV clinical appointment, and X2 analyses were used to compare differences between RIC and not RIC.ResultsOver a 10-month period, we identified 237 PLWHA seen in the ED or hospitalized. The majority of patients were African-American (AA) (92.7%), male (66.1%) and mean age 44.6 ± 14.6 years old. Of the 237 patients identified, 172 (72.6%) confirmed already in care, 7 (3.0%) deceased, and 2 (0.8%) incarcerated. Among patients eligible for RIC, 44 (73.3%) were contacted by staff, 39 (65.0%) were referred to care, and 32 (53.3%) were RIC. Patients not RIC were all AA, 69.2% male, and mean age 38.5 ± 14.2 years old. Patients identified in the inpatient setting were more likely to be RIC vs. those identified in the ED (81.3% vs. 18.8%, P < 0.01). Interestingly, insurance type was not associated with RIC vs. not RIC (P = 0.17).ConclusionOur pilot program demonstrates the potential for using the EHR to identify PLWHA who are in need of RIC during unplanned hospitalizations and ED visits. Inpatients were more likely to be RIC than ED patients, likely due to the ability to make in-person contact during hospitalization compared with ED visit by SW staff.DisclosuresD. Pitrak, Gilead Sciences FOCUS: Grant Investigator, Grant recipient

ObjectivesBoth homelessness and incarceration are associated with housing instability, which in turn can disrupt continuity of HIV medical care. Yet, their impacts have not been systematically assessed among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).MethodsWe studied a retrospective cohort of 1,698 New York City PLWHA with both jail incarceration and homelessness during 2001–05 to evaluate whether frequent transitions between jail incarceration and homelessness were associated with a lower likelihood of continuity of HIV care during a subsequent one-year follow-up period. Using matched jail, single-adult homeless shelter, and HIV registry data, we performed sequence analysis to identify trajectories of these events and assessed their influence on engagement in HIV care and HIV viral suppression via marginal structural modeling.ResultsSequence analysis identified four trajectories; 72% of the cohort had sporadic experiences of both brief incarceration and homelessness, whereas others experienced more consistent incarceration or homelessness during early or late months. Trajectories were not associated with differential engagement in HIV care during follow-up. However, compared with PLWHA experiencing early bouts of homelessness and later minimal incarceration/homelessness events, we observed a lower prevalence of viral suppression among PLWHA with two other trajectories: those with sporadic, brief occurrences of incarceration/homelessness (0.67, 95% CI = 0.50,0.90) and those with extensive incarceration experiences (0.62, 95% CI = 0.43,0.88).ConclusionsHousing instability due to frequent jail incarceration and homelessness or extensive incarceration may exert negative influences on viral suppression. Policies and services that support housing stability should be strengthened among incarcerated and sheltered PLWHA to reduce risk of adverse health conditions.

The WHO recommends the integration of routine HIV services within maternal and child health (MCH) services to reduce the fragmentation of and to promote retention in care for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV (WWH) and their infants and children exposed to HIV (ICEH). During 2020–2021, we surveyed 202 HIV treatment sites across 40 low- and middle-income countries within the global International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium. We determined the proportion of sites providing HIV services integrated within MCH clinics, defined as full [HIV care and antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation in MCH clinic], partial (HIV care or ART initiation in MCH clinic), or no integration. Among sites serving pregnant WWH, 54% were fully and 21% partially integrated, with the highest proportions of fully integrated sites in Southern Africa (80%) and East Africa (76%) compared to 14%–40% in other regions (i.e., Asia-Pacific; the Caribbean, Central and South America Network for HIV Epidemiology; Central Africa; West Africa). Among sites serving postpartum WWH, 51% were fully and 10% partially integrated, with a similar regional integration pattern to sites serving pregnant WWH. Among sites serving ICEH, 56% were fully and 9% were partially integrated, with the highest proportions of fully integrated sites in East Africa (76%), West Africa (58%) and Southern Africa (54%) compared to ≤33% in the other regions. Integration was heterogenous across IeDEA regions and most prevalent in East and Southern Africa. More research is needed to understand this heterogeneity and the impacts of integration on MCH outcomes globally.

To understand trends in health care use among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), this study compared trends in hospitalization rates, comorbidities, and hospital death rates of hospitalized PLWHA with the overall hospitalized population in Illinois during 2008-2014. This study identified principal hospitalizations (the principal discharge diagnosis coded with an HIV-related billing code) and secondary HIV hospitalizations (a non-principal discharge diagnosis coded with an HIV-related billing code) from 2008-2014 Illinois hospital discharge data. Hospitalization rates among PLWHA were calculated using prevalence data from the Illinois Electronic HIV/AIDS Registry; US Census population estimates were used to calculate overall Illinois hospitalization rates. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to assess trends overall and among demographic subgroups. Comorbidities and discharge status for all hospitalizations were identified. In 2014, the hospitalization rate was 2.2 times higher among PLWHA than among the overall Illinois hospitalized population. From 2008 to 2014, principal HIV hospitalization rates per 1000 PLWHA decreased by 48% (from 71 to 37) and secondary HIV hospitalization rates declined by 26% (from 296 to 218). The decline in the principal HIV hospitalization rate was steepest from 2008 to 2011 (annual percentage change = -16.0%; P = .003). Mood disorders, substance-related diagnoses, and schizophrenia accounted for 18% to 22% of principal hospitalizations among PLWHA compared with 7% to 8% of overall Illinois hospitalizations. Hepatitis as a comorbidity was more common among hospitalized PLWHA (18%-22%) than among the overall Illinois hospitalized population (1.4%-1.5%). Hospitalized PLWHA were 3 times more likely than the overall Illinois hospitalized population to die while hospitalized. HIV hospitalizations are largely preventable with appropriate treatment and adherence. Additional efforts to improve retention in HIV care that address comorbidities of PLWHA are needed.

Assessing the effect of Measurement-Based Care depression treatment on HIV medication adherence and health outcomes: Rationale and design of the SLAM DUNC Study

BackgroundPeople with HIV/AIDS require treatment with antiretrovirals (ARV) to reduce the amount of HIV virus in the body so it does not enter the AIDS stage, while people with AIDS require ARV treatment to prevent opportunistic infections with various complications.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the ARV medication adherence of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), get information on the facts that influence PLWHA’s use of ARV, analyze factors that influence PLWHA’s use of ARV, and get information about treatment management for PLWHA.MethodsThis study is a systematic review. Research information was obtained using the Google Scholar facility and an index of journal publications.ResultsFactors related to ARV adherence in PLWHA include family support, level of knowledge, peer group support, side effects of medicine, motivation, behavioral skills, psychology of PLWHA patients, boredom, stigma, health care facilities, therapy guidelines, characteristics of comorbidities, perception, gender, health insurance, self-efficacy, social isolation, age, education level, income, duration of ARV treatment, support from health workers, spiritual motivation, and use of health services for the last three years.ConclusionAdherence and family support play important roles in healing PLWHA. PLWHA must adhere to treatment with antiretrovirals. Family support plays an important role in healing PLWHA. It is suggested to the families of PLWHA that they give motivation and comply with the advice of health workers.