Changes in HIV Internalized and Experienced Stigmas and Social Support After an Urban Gardens and Peer Nutritional Counseling Intervention Among People With HIV and Food Insecurity in the Dominican Republic.

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity and HIV-related stigma negatively affect HIV outcomes. Few studies have examined how food security interventions affect HIV-related stigma and social support. SETTING: Two HIV clinics in the Dominican Republic. METHODS: A pilot cluster randomized controlled trial of an urban gardens and peer nutritional counseling intervention was conducted to examine outcomes of HIV-related stigmas and social support. Adult patients (≥18 years of age) with moderate or severe household food insecurity and evidence of suboptimal ART adherence and/or a detectable viral load were enrolled; standard measures of internalized and experienced stigmas and social support were collected at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. Intervention clinic participants received training and materials from agronomists for a home garden, 3-4 sessions of nutritional counseling from the clinic's peer counselor, and a garden produce cooking workshop facilitated by professional nutritionists. RESULTS: Of 109 study participants (46 intervention and 63 control), 103 (94%) completed 12-month follow-up. Difference-in-differences multivariate longitudinal linear regressions adjusting for sociodemographic factors found that intervention participants had reduced internalized stigma by 3.04 points (scale 0-32) at 12 months (P = 0.002); reduced probability of experiencing HIV-related stigma or discrimination in the past 6 months (20 percentage points at 6 months, P = 0.05 and 25 percentage points at 12 months, P = 0.02); and modestly improved social support at 12 months (1.85 points on 30-pt scale, P = 0.093). CONCLUSION: A fully powered, larger trial is needed to establish the efficacy of the intervention and assess pathways by which the intervention may improve HIV stigma and social support.

Perceived Impacts of Urban Gardens and Peer Nutritional Counseling for People Living With HIV in the Dominican Republic.

OBJECTIVE: Explore participants' perceptions of urban gardens and peer nutritional counseling intervention for people with HIV and food insecurity on antiretroviral therapy in the Dominican Republic. METHODS: Semistructured endline interviews (n = 21) with intervention participants about their perceptions of diet, health, and quality of life. A codebook was applied to verbatim transcripts, and coded data were analyzed using matrices to identify themes. RESULTS: Participants were mostly Dominican (86%; 14% Haitian); 57% were men; the mean age was 45 years. The most salient experiences described by intervention participants were improved dietary quality and diversity, improved food security, and saving money. Participants also emphasized improved social interactions, mental health, and emotional well-being. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Urban gardens and peer nutritional counseling may improve participants' diet and psychosocial well-being. Nutrition programs with marginalized populations may need to improve access to healthy foods and build camaraderie and linkages to programs addressing structural factors.

Exploring gender differences in HIV-related stigma and social support in a low-resource setting: A qualitative study in the Dominican Republic.

HIV-related stigma can affect health by compromising coping and social support. Gender differences in stigma experiences and social support are underexplored, particularly in the Caribbean. We conducted semi-structured interviews (N = 32) with patients at two HIV clinics in the Dominican Republic. Transcripts were coded using qualitative content analysis (deductive and inductive approaches) to identify themes regarding stigma experiences and social support, which were then compared across men and women participants to identify gender differences. While both men and women described experienced stigma, including verbal abuse, men's experience of stigma were subtler and women described outright rejection and instances of physical violence, including intimate partner violence. Both men and women described job discrimination, but women described severe disempowerment as well as permanent loss of income and/or employment whereas men described temporary changes in employment and /or decrease in income. Men and women described modifying behavior due to anticipated stigma, but only women discussed isolating themselves and discomfort taking HIV medication in front of others. Regarding internalized stigma, both men and women described shame, guilt, and depression over their HIV status, though these experiences were more common among women. Women's experiences prevented health care seeking and included suicidality, while men sometimes blamed women for their HIV status and expressed a desire to "move on" and "look ahead." Both men and women described receiving financial support from family and friends, community support from neighbors, governmental support, and support from other people living with HIV. Women most frequently discussed receiving support from family and friends and using religiosity to cope, whereas men referenced general family support and government benefits and were less forthcoming about personal relationships and social networks, oftentimes not disclosing HIV status to others. The social context of HIV-related stigma affects women and men differently with physical and mental health impacts and may require distinct mitigation approaches.

Preliminary Effects of an Urban Gardens and Peer Nutritional Counseling Intervention on HIV Treatment Adherence and Detectable Viral Load Among People with HIV and Food Insecurity: Evidence from a Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in the Dominican Republic.

A pilot cluster randomized controlled trial involving two HIV clinics in the Dominican Republic assessed preliminary efficacy of an urban garden and peer nutritional counseling intervention. A total of 115 participants (52 intervention, 63 control) with moderate or severe food insecurity and sub-optimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and/or detectable viral load were assessed at baseline, 6- and 12-months. Longitudinal multivariate regression analysis controlling for socio-demographics and accounting for serial cluster correlation found that the intervention: reduced the prevalence of detectable viral load by 20 percentage points at 12 months; reduced any missed clinic appointments by 34 and 16 percentage points at 6 and 12 months; increased the probability of "perfect" ART adherence by 24 and 20 percentage points at 6 and 12 months; and decreased food insecurity at 6 and 12 months. Results are promising and warrant a larger controlled trial to establish intervention efficacy for improving HIV clinical outcomes.Trial registry Clinical Trials Identifier: NCT03568682.

RESUMEN: Un estudio piloto de un ensayo controlado aleatorio por conglomerados que involucró a dos clínicas del VIH en la República Dominicana evaluó de forma preliminar la eficacia de una intervención de huertos urbanos y consejería nutricional entre pares. Un total de 115 participantes (52 de intervención, 63 de control) con inseguridad alimentaria moderada o grave y con adherencia subóptima a la terapia antirretroviral (TARV) y/o carga viral detectable fueron evaluados al inicio del estudio, y a los 6 y 12 meses. El análisis de regresión longitudinal multivariada controlando por variables sociodemográficas y tomando en cuenta la correlación serial de clúster encontró que la intervención: redujo la prevalencia de carga viral detectable en 20 puntos porcentuales a los 12 meses; redujo las citas clínicas perdidas en 34 y 16 puntos porcentuales a los 6 y 12 meses; aumentó la probabilidad de adherencia "perfecta" al TARV en 24 y 20 puntos porcentuales a los 6 y 12 meses; y disminuyó la inseguridad alimentaria a los 6 y 12 meses. Los resultados son prometedores y justifican un ensayo controlado más grande para establecer la eficacia de la intervención en mejorar los resultados clínicos del VIH.

Exploring antiretroviral therapy adherence, competing needs, and viral suppression among people living with HIV and food insecurity in the Dominican Republic.

Understanding factors related to suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and detectable viral load (VL), especially among vulnerable populations, is needed to improve HIV outcomes. The Caribbean is highly impacted by HIV and socioeconomic inequalities, but few studies have been conducted there to explore food insecurity among people with HIV and factors associated with viral suppression in this vulnerable population. Using baseline data from a pilot intervention trial among people living with HIV and food insecurity in the Dominican Republic, we examined psychosocial and behavioral factors associated with viral suppression, ART adherence, and competing needs. Among participants (n = 115), 61% had a detectable VL; the strongest factor associated with detectable VL was having missed taking ART in the last six months due to not having food (OR = 2.68, p = 0.02). Greater odds of reporting missed ART doses due to not having food were associated with severe food insecurity (OR = 4.60, p = 0.006), clinical depression (OR = 2.76, p = 0.018), Haitian background (OR = 6.62 p = 0.017), and internalized HIV stigma (OR = 1.09, p = 0.041), while lower odds were associated with social support (OR = 0.89, p = 0.03) and having health insurance (OR = 0.27, p = 0.017). Ensuring that people with HIV and food insecurity have food to take with their ART is essential for viral suppression.

An Integrated Urban Gardens and Peer Nutritional Counseling Intervention to Address Food Insecurity Among People With HIV in the Dominican Republic.

Food insecurity negatively affects HIV prevention and care, and sustainable interventions are needed. Here we describe the development of an integrated urban gardens and peer nutritional counseling intervention to address food insecurity and nutrition among people with HIV, which included: (1) peer nutritional counseling, (2) gardening training, and (3) garden-based nutrition and cooking workshops. The intervention was developed using community-based participatory research over multiple years and stages of data gathering and implementation and evaluation. Lessons learned include the importance of cross-sectoral partnerships to achieve multifaceted, integrated, and sustainable interventions and a shared commitment among partners to an ongoing cycle of action-oriented research, and the need for home-based and community-based gardens to enhance food security and social support. The development process successfully combined an evidence-based framework and community engagement to yield a multicomponent yet integrated food security and nutrition intervention appropriate for people with HIV and potentially adaptable for other chronic conditions.

Perceptions and determinants of healthy eating for people with HIV in the Dominican Republic who experience food insecurity.

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to understand how moderate and severe food-insecure people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Dominican Republic perceive a healthy diet and explore facilitators and barriers to engaging in healthy dietary behaviours as a means of HIV self-management. DESIGN: We conducted semi-structured interviews with PLHIV. We generated codes on food insecurity among PLHIV and used content analysis to organise codes for constant comparison between and within participants. SETTING: Two urban HIV clinics in the Dominican Republic. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-two PLHIV participated in the interviews. RESULTS: Factors that contributed to dietary behaviours include individual factors, such as knowledge of nutrition, views and attitudes on healthy dietary behaviours, beliefs about dietary needs for PLHIV and diet functionality. Interpersonal factors, including assistance from family and peers in providing food or funds, were deemed critical along with community and organisational factors, such as food assistance from HIV clinics, accessibility to a variety of food store types and the availability of diverse food options at food stores. Policy-level factors that influenced dietary behaviours were contingent on respondents' participation in the labour market (i.e. whether they were employed) and consistent access to government assistance. Food insecurity influenced these factors through unpredictability and a lack of control. CONCLUSIONS: PLHIV who experience food insecurity face various barriers to engaging in healthy dietary behaviours. Their diets are influenced at multiple levels of influence ranging from individual to structural, requiring multi-level interventions that can address these factors concurrently.

Factors contributing to food insecurity among women living with HIV in the Dominican Republic: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity contributes to poor health outcomes among people living with HIV. In Latin America and the Caribbean, structural factors such as poverty, stigma, and inequality disproportionately affect women and may fuel both the HIV epidemic and food insecurity. METHODS: We examined factors contributing to food insecurity among women living with HIV (WLHIV) in the Dominican Republic (DR). Data collection included in-depth, semi-structured interviews in 2013 with 30 WLHIV with indications of food insecurity who resided in urban or peri-urban areas and were recruited from local HIV clinics. In-person interviews were conducted in Spanish. Transcripts were coded using content analysis methods and an inductive approach to identify principal and emergent themes. RESULTS: Respondents identified economic instability as the primary driver of food insecurity, precipitated by enacted stigma in the labor and social domains. Women described experiences of HIV-related labor discrimination in formal and informal sectors. Women commonly reported illegal HIV testing by employers, and subsequent dismissal if HIV-positive, especially in tourism and free trade zones. Enacted stigma in the social domain manifested as gossip and rejection by family, friends, and neighbors and physical, verbal, and sexual abuse by intimate partners, distancing women from sources of economic and food support. These experiences with discrimination and abuse contributed to internalized stigma among respondents who, as a result, were fearful and hesitant to disclose their HIV status; some participants reported leaving spouses and/or families, resulting in further isolation from economic resources, food and other support. A minority of participants described social support by friends, spouses, families and support groups, which helped to ameliorate food insecurity and emotional distress. CONCLUSIONS: Addressing food insecurity among WLHIV requires policy and programmatic interventions to enforce existing laws designed to protect the rights of people living with HIV, reduce HIV-related stigma, and improve gender equality.

'HIV and work don't go together': Employment as a social determinant of HIV outcomes among men who have sex with men and transgender women in the Dominican Republic.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women are disproportionately affected by HIV in the Dominican Republic. Little is known about their experiences living with HIV as a chronic condition. We explored employment as a social determinant of well-being with HIV. We conducted 42 qualitative in-depth interviews with MSM (n = 16) and transgender women (n = 5) living with HIV; each participant completed 2 interviews to facilitate depth and iterative analysis. We used narrative analysis and systematic coding to identify salient themes related to employment and the HIV experience and developed a conceptual model of the pathways between HIV stigma, unemployment, and HIV outcomes. Early life experiences, including rejection from families and school, resulted in limited work opportunities, especially among transgender women. Following HIV diagnosis, participants across all socio-economic levels lost jobs and/or were unable to get jobs due to illegal HIV testing and HIV stigma and discrimination. Not being able to work impacted mental health, engagement in HIV care, and overall well-being. We conclude that lack of employment is a salient concern among MSM and transgender women living with HIV. Holistic, multi-level programmes that address illegal HIV testing and discriminatory hiring practices are urgently needed to facilitate engagement in care and long-term well-being.

Retinopatía del prematuro: evaluación oftalmológica en recién nacidos que recibieron oxigenoterapia en el Hospital Dr. Luis E. Aybar ; octubre-noviembre 1990 / Preterm retinopathy : ophtalmologic evaluation newborn who received oxigen therapy at Hospital Dr. Luis E. Aybar; october-november 1990

Se realizó un estudio transversal descriptivo directo en el Hospital Dr. Luis E. Aybar en el periodo comprendido entre octubre de 1989 a noviembre de 1990 inclusive, con el objetivo de conocer los resultados de la evaluación oftalmológica en los recien nacidos que han recibido oxigenoterapia en la unidad de cuidados intensivos de este centro hospitalario. La población estudiada fue un total de 26 niños de los cuales 21 (80.8 por ciento ) no presentaron alteraciones oftalmológicas y 5 (19.2 por ciento ) presentaron Retinopatia del prematuro. En el total de casos de Fibroplasia retrolental de hallazgo encontrado consistio en vasoconstricción arteriolar acompañado de vasodilatación y tortuosidad venosa que representa el primer grado de los estadios retinianos de la Retinopatia del prematuro

Incidencia y características de las injurias oculares penetrantes

Del total de casos de heridas oculares penetrantes recibidas en el departamento de Oftalmología del hospital Luis E. Aybar durante el período comprendido entre julio de 1987 y junio de 1988 se pudo comprobar que el grupo de pacientes más afectados es el del que tienen edades comprendidas entre 11 a 20 años, los cuales abarcaron un 28.0% del total de casos. Luego siguieron los pacientes con edades comprendidas entre los 6-10 años con un total de 30 casos, para un 23.0% de la población estudiada. Los pacientes comprendidos entre las edades de 0-5 años, abarcaron un total de 23 casos para un 18.0 del total. Se demostró que los traumas del segmento anterior del ojo son más frecuentes en el ambiente familiar con 64 casos para un 50% del total de casos. les sigueron los tipos laborales con 34%. Se determinó que los objetos más frecuentes causantes de heridas oculares son los metálicos con 58 casos para un 45.5%. luego le siguieron los vegetables con 32.0%, mientras los objetos de cristal abarcaron 12 casos para un 10.0%. Por último comprobamos que las injurias oculares penetrantes son más frecuentes de localización corneo- esclerales con 82 casos para un 64%, mientras que las corneales abarcaron un 36.0% del total de casos