HIV Addiction Research Articles

Training the Addiction Treatment Workforce in HIV Endemic Regions: An Overview of the South Africa HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Center Initiative.

The South Africa HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) was formed in 2017 to train health professionals and nonprofessional lay workers in evidence-based addiction interventions as a strategy for addressing the country's HIV epidemic. This article describes the Year 1 activities of the South Africa HIV ATTC including an initial needs assessment with high-level stakeholders, an advisory board meeting with South African government and nongovernment agencies, a learning exchange with other international ATTCs, and the identification of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) as a focal intervention for widespread training. The article details the culmination of Year 1 activities via a national forum on SBIRT and presents posttraining satisfaction data across SBIRT events. Lessons learned during the first year include the importance of building strong partnerships with high-level stakeholders, conducting a targeted needs assessment, and identifying a focal intervention for widespread dissemination. Trainees reported high satisfaction and intention to use the knowledge and skills gained. Overall, the methods used by the South Africa HIV ATTC demonstrate a novel approach to training health professionals and lay health workers in evidence-based addiction services as a means of improving HIV outcomes.

Supplemental Material for Training the Addiction Treatment Workforce in HIV Endemic Regions: An Overview of the South Africa HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Center Initiative

Supplemental Material for Training the Addiction Treatment Workforce in HIV Endemic Regions: An Overview of the South Africa HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Center Initiative

Substance use and high-risk sexual behavior among men who have sex with men in Hanoi

Aims: HIV prevalence is increasing among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam but little is known about their substance use and risky sexual behaviors. We hypothesized that alcohol and illicit drug use is associatedwith risky sexual behaviors in MSM. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in Hanoi in 2010 in MSM recruited through community-based respondentdriven sampling. Participants reported sociodemographic characteristics, alcohol use (AUDIT 8–15= risky, 16–19=harmful, ≥20=dependence), any illicit drug use, and sex without a condom in the past 30 days. We tested associations between substance use and unprotected sex using multivariable logistic regression. Results: The majority of 451 participants were born outside Hanoi (68.3%), with a mean age of 22.5 (SD 5.3) years. During the past 30days, 27.1%used illicit drugs, andalcohol usewashazardous for 41.5%, harmful for 23.1%, and consistent with alcohol dependence for 19.3%. Participants had a median 3 sexual partners (range 1–54); 83.1% drank alcohol before or during sexual intercourse and 75.2% reported unprotected sex. Inmultivariable analysis, age (aOR 0.96, 95% CI 0.91, 0.99), being born outside Hanoi (aOR 1.94, 95% CI 1.14, 3.30), alcohol dependence (aOR 3.34, 95% CI 1.24, 8.98) and alcohol use before or during sexual intercourse (aOR 3.67, 95% CI 1.94, 6.95) were associated with unprotected sex in the past 30 days, but illicit drug use was not (aOR 1.12; 95% CI 0.61, 2.04), after adjusting for education level and income. Conclusions: Recent alcohol and drug use was common in our sample of Hanoi MSM. Alcohol dependence and drinking prior to sex were associated with unprotected sex, suggesting that tailored interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in MSM may be indicated to reduce behaviors associated with HIV transmission in Hanoi. Financial support: Vietnam HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Center (VHATTC) (SAMSHA TI23603); Fulbright Scholar Award 47422223.