Identifying social determinants of health in populations exposed to structural inequities: a qualitative study of the COVID-19 pandemic experiences of Black and Latinx people living with HIV and cardiovascular risks.

Introduction: Black and Latinx communities experience inequities in the social determinants of health (SDOH) and high rates of chronic illnesses [e.g., cardiovascular disease (CVD), HIV]. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified these long-standing SDOH disparities. However, scant attention has been paid to the pandemic-related experiences of populations exposed to structural inequities. Methods: Using a semi-structured interview guide, 60 in-depth telephone interviews were conducted with Black and Latinx people living with HIV (PLWH) and CVD risks to assess: (1) perceived personal and community risk for COVID-19; (2) knowledge of and access to COVID-19 public health information; (3) barriers to COVID-19 public health recommendations and vaccine uptake; and (4) perceptions of HIV, CVD, and COVID-19. Interviews were professionally transcribed into either English or Spanish. Spanish transcripts were translated into English. Rapid qualitative analysis was used to summarize each transcript into a structured templaicte corresponding to interview guide domains. Summaries were combined into matrices for identification and comparison of themes across domains. Results: Participants reported risks for COVID-19 due to being immunocompromised and SDOH, including transportation, exposure to risks conferred by others, living in under-resourced neighborhoods, and housing insecurity. Participants engaged in protective countermeasures by adhering to public health mandates. Relationships with providers, participating in community support groups, and digital inclusion and literacy were salient with respect to dissemination of COVID-19 information and vaccine uptake. Experiences with managing a chronic illness facilitated vaccine acceptance. Participants described language barriers, experiences of discrimination, and a historical lack of trust in medical systems and vaccines. Discussion: This study provides a real-time narrative from PLWH and CVD risks who were vulnerable during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications include the need for continuity with providers and established community networks, increasing internet access and digital health literacy, and addressing historical trauma incurred in medical settings. It is critical to understand the impact of traditional SDOH on those living with chronic illness as well as other social determinants that shed light on access to public health information, adherence to public health recommendations, and vaccine uptake among populations exposed to structural inequities.

Strengths and challenges among Black and Latinx people living with HIV during COVID-19: A mixed-methods investigation of the translation of self-management across syndemic health crises.

Black and Latinx people are disproportionately impacted by HIV, COVID-19, and other syndemic health crises with similar underlying social determinants of health. Lessons learned from the HIV pandemic and COVID-19 response have been invoked to improve health equity at the systemic level in the face of other emergent health crises. However, few have examined the potential translation of strategies between syndemics at the individual level. The current mixed-methods study examined strategies used to manage HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic and the extent to which they were helpful in managing COVID-19 vulnerability among Black and Latinx people living with HIV. Participants (n = 30) were interviewed by telephone and completed demographic, mental health, alcohol and substance use, health literacy, and clinical measures in October and November 2020 in Los Angeles County. Rapid qualitative analysis, descriptive statistics, and mixed-methods merging were used to analyze the data. Qualitative results demonstrated that participants found HIV self-management strategies translated to aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic including hygiene and social distancing and coping with a health-related stressor. Although telemedicine provided continuity of HIV care for most participants, technology access and literacy posed a potential barrier, particularly to those facing other sociodemographic marginalization (i.e., low education, disability). Findings suggest providers can encourage leveraging individual HIV self-management strategies in response to other public health crises. However, these interventions must be culturally responsive and address intersecting social determinants of health. Future research should examine mechanisms that predict individual translation of HIV management strategies to other health concerns. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Increasing Urban African American Women's Readiness for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis: A Pilot Study of the Women Prepping for PrEp Plus Program (WP3+).

BACKGROUND: African American women are disproportionately at risk for HIV infection. To increase women's readiness to consider taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), we conducted a pilot study of Women Prepping for PrEP Plus (WP3+). Adapted from an evidence-based HIV risk reduction intervention for African American couples who are HIV-serodiscordant, WP3+ is a group-based culturally congruent program designed for African American women without HIV. METHODS: Women were screened for eligibility; if eligible, they were invited to participate in the four-session WP3+ group. Participants completed surveys at baseline (n = 47) and post-implementation (n = 28); surveys assessed demographics, HIV and PrEP knowledge, depression and posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, substance use, sexual risk behaviors, health care-related discrimination, and social support. In a process evaluation, a subset of women completed qualitative interviews at baseline (n = 35) and post-implementation (n = 18); the interviews were designed to converge with (e.g., on HIV and PrEP knowledge) and expand upon (e.g., unmeasured perceived impacts of WP3+) quantitative measures. To triangulate with the quantitative data, deductive qualitative analysis concentrated on women's knowledge and awareness of PrEP and HIV, their relationship dynamics and challenges, and their considerations (e.g., barriers, facilitators) related to taking PrEP; inductive analysis focused on women's experiences in the intervention. RESULTS: Participants in the WP3+ intervention reported: improved proportion of condom use in the past 90 days (p < .01) and in a typical week (p < .05); reduced PTS symptoms (p < .05); increased HIV knowledge (p < .0001) and awareness of PrEP (p < .001); and greater consideration of using PrEP (p < .001). In interviews, participants expressed not only increased knowledge but also appreciation for learning how to protect themselves against HIV, communicate with their partners, and take charge of their health, and they expressed greater receptiveness to using PrEP as a result of the knowledge and skills they gained. CONCLUSIONS: The WP3+ pilot study demonstrated preliminary efficacy and acceptability as an HIV-prevention program for African American women. A controlled trial is needed to confirm its efficacy for increasing PrEP use among African American women.

Women-Centered Program for Women of Color (WC4WC): A Community-Based Participatory, Culturally Congruent Sexual Health Intervention in Los Angeles County, California.

The Women-Centered Program for Women of Color, a culturally congruent sexual health intervention, was implemented in 2018 in Los Angeles County, California, according to the principles of community-based participatory research: enhancing community capacity, establishing sustainable programs, and translating research findings to community settings. Participants exhibited significantly increased knowledge of and interest in preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) over time, but no significant change in condom use was evident. Booster sessions are needed to maintain interest in PrEP and PEP given concerns about reproductive and sexual health. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(S2):S110-S114. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307296).

How Mental Health Professionals Can Address Disparities in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unparalleled crisis, yet also a unique opportunity for mental health professionals to address and prioritize mental and physical health disparities that disproportionately impact marginalized populations. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have long experienced structural racism and oppression, resulting in disproportionately high rates of trauma, poverty, and chronic diseases that span generations and are associated with increased COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates. The current pandemic, with the potential of conferring new trauma exposure, interacts with and exacerbates existing disparities. To assist mental health professionals in offering more comprehensive services and programs for those who have minimal resources and the most profound barriers to care, four critical areas are highlighted as being historically problematic and essential to address: (a) recognizing psychology's role in institutionalizing disparities; (b) examining race/ethnicity as a critical variable; (c) proactively tackling growing mental health problems amidst the COVID-19 crisis; and (d) understanding the importance of incorporating historical trauma and discrimination in research and practice. Recommendations are provided to promote equity at the structural (e.g., nationwide, federal), professional (e.g., the mental health professions), and individual (e.g., practitioners, researchers) levels.