Small Randomized Controlled Trial of the New Passport to Wellness HIV Prevention Intervention for Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (BMSM).

We developed and tested Passport to Wellness (PtW), a client-centered intervention to improve engagement in HIV/STI prevention and services to improve social determinants of health among Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) using incentives and peer support. We assessed PtW's impact on HIV/STI screening and pre/post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP/PEP) knowledge/uptake using a randomized trial that compared the full intervention to one lacking peer support. We compared changes within groups surveyed at baseline and 6 months. We enrolled 80 eligible BMSM, among 399 screened. Among retained participants (34 peer-supported; 27 comparison), overall increases were observed in HIV (30% to 87%; p < .001) and STI (28% to 80%; p < .001) testing within the prior 6 months, as well as in PrEP and PEP awareness, and PrEP use. Statistically significant between group differences were not observed. Tailored prevention planning, incentives, and addressing social determinants may help move Black MSM along the HIV prevention continuum.

Mobile-Enhanced Prevention Support Study for Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women Leaving Jail: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women, particularly those who have experienced criminal justice involvement, have particularly high HIV burdens, and a majority of those in jail have substance use disorders (SUDs). MSM and transgender women also experience elevated rates of incarceration. Once community re-entry occurs, individuals are in a critical period for addressing potential risks of HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) acquisition and negative sequelae of substance use. Further, the impact experienced by one's social and sexual networks experienced at the time of detention and release have important health implications for MSM and transgender women. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to test a new intervention-Mobile-Enhanced Prevention Support (MEPS)-that involves a GPS-based mobile app called GeoPassport (referred to as GeoPass in practice), incentives, and peer support for promoting HIV prevention, substance use treatment, and use of related services. METHODS: A two-arm, unblinded, randomized controlled trial will seek to enroll 300 HIV-negative MSM and transgender women, aged 18-49 years, with SUDs, who are either in jail or have recently left jail. Participants will be enrolled by study staff and randomized to the MEPS intervention group or usual care group. The intervention group will receive customized wellness goals in addition to GeoPass, cash incentives, and the support of a trained peer mentor for 6 months. Data collection will consist of a baseline survey and three follow-up surveys at 3, 6, and 9 months postenrollment, either in person or by phone or videoconference when necessary. The primary outcomes include establishing a primary care provider; being prescribed and adhering to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV; screening for HIV, STIs, and hepatitis C virus; and engagement in recommended treatment for SUDs. Secondary outcomes include obtaining treatment for any identified infections and avoiding recidivism. RESULTS: Enrollment began in November 2019 and study completion is expected in 2023. CONCLUSIONS: This study will advance our knowledge base on patient navigation and peer mentor interventions. Peer navigation services have been studied for the treatment of HIV, but less often in the context of HIV and STI prevention among sexual and gender minority populations at the time of re-entry into the community from jail. The MEPS study will examine the acceptability and feasibility of combining peer mentor services with a mobile app to facilitate service utilization and participant-peer mentor communication. MEPS will assess patterns of PrEP uptake and utilization in MSM and transgender women leaving jail. The study will provide heretofore unavailable data from persons leaving jail regarding HIV PrEP, STI screening, substance abuse treatment, and service utilization patterns and experiences, including geocoded data for those in the intervention arm. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04036396); https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04036396. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/18106.

Medical mistrust among social network members may contribute to antiretroviral treatment nonadherence in African Americans living with HIV.

RATIONALE: African Americans living with HIV are less likely to adhere to antiretroviral treatment (ART) compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Medical mistrust is thought to be a factor in this disparity. OBJECTIVE: We examined (1) whether exposure to HIV conspiracy beliefs, a specific type of HIV-related mistrust (about the origins and treatment of HIV) in social networks is associated with ART nonadherence among African Americans living with HIV; and (2) the characteristics of individuals who discuss HIV-related mistrust in the social networks of African Americans living with HIV. METHODS: At baseline and 6- and 12-months post-baseline, 175 African Americans living with HIV on ART completed egocentric social network assessments, from which we assessed the structure and composition of their personal networks (the social context immediately surrounding them). HIV-related mistrust was operationalized with an indicator of whether any social network member had expressed HIV conspiracy beliefs to the participant. Daily medication adherence was monitored electronically. RESULTS: At baseline, 63% of participants agreed with at least one conspiracy belief, and 55% reported hearing at least one social network member ("alter") express conspiracy beliefs. In a multivariate linear repeated measures regression, expression of conspiracy beliefs by similar others in the network (in terms of age, gender, HIV status, sexual orientation, and race/ethnicity) was associated with ART nonadherence (i.e., percentage of prescribed doses taken). In a multivariate logistic regression, expression of conspiracy beliefs was more likely among social network members who were HIV-positive, who knew the participants' serostatus, and with whom participants interacted frequently, and less likely among more well-connected social network members. CONCLUSION: HIV-related mistrust in the network may be most influential when expressed by similar others who may be HIV-positive themselves.