HIV-Related Mistrust (or HIV Conspiracy Theories) and Willingness to Use PrEP Among Black Women in the United States.

Uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among Black women living in the US is suboptimal. We sought to determine the association between HIV-related medical mistrust (or belief in HIV conspiracy theories) and willingness to use PrEP among Black women. We analyzed data from the 2016 National Survey on HIV in the Black Community (NSHBC), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Among NSHBC participants, 522 were women and 347 (69.0%) reported HIV risk factors. Only 14.1% were aware that PrEP exists; 30.8% reported willingness to use PrEP. HIV-related medical mistrust was reported by 60.4% of women. In multivariable analysis, controlling for income, education, marital status and health care engagement, belief in conspiracy theories was significantly associated with higher willingness to use PrEP. The HIV-Related Medical Mistrust Scale item: "there is a cure for HIV, but the government is withholding it from the poor" was independently associated with higher PrEP willingness. This finding speaks to the need for an improved understanding of the role of HIV-related medical mistrust among Black women to improve uptake of biomedical HIV prevention.

Hidden in Plain Sight: Identifying Women Living in the United States Who Could Benefit From HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis.

HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with oral tenofovir/emtricitabine is an effective means of decreasing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition among women. However, few women are prescribed and are taking PrEP. This article offers perspectives on barriers to use and strategies to increase uptake among women.

African born women living with HIV in the United States: unmet needs and opportunities for intervention.

Africa born (immigrant) women comprise a disproportionate number of Black women living with HIV in the United States. Though they are at risk for mental health disorders, including psychological distress and depression, little is known about their experience with these important predictors of quality of life, retention in care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. In this qualitative study, we used constructivist grounded theory to explore the psychosocial and mental health challenges of African born women living with HIV in Boston and New York City. We conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with 45 women. Major themes contributing to psychological distress and depressive symptoms included (1) pre-immigration HIV-related stigma; (2) persistent HIV-related stigma post-immigration, (3) undocumented immigration status, (4) economic insecurity, and (5) intimate partner violence (IPV). Many participants described ongoing depressive symptoms or histories of depressive episodes. Yet, most had not been formally diagnosed or treated for depression. Prayer, consultation with faith leadership, and support groups were described most frequently as useful interventions. Future research should explore these thematic areas among a larger, more representative sample of African born women living with HIV to determine differences by country of origin across thematic areas. These data would be useful to inform development of innovative and culturally appropriate interventions.

Clinical, Virologic, Immunologic Outcomes and Emerging HIV Drug Resistance Patterns in Children and Adolescents in Public ART Care in Zimbabwe.

OBJECTIVE: To determine immunologic, virologic outcomes and drug resistance among children and adolescents receiving care during routine programmatic implementation in a low-income country. METHODS: A cross-sectional evaluation with collection of clinical and laboratory data for children (0-<10 years) and adolescents (10-19 years) attending a public ART program in Harare providing care for pediatric patients since 2004, was conducted. Longitudinal data for each participant was obtained from the clinic based medical record. RESULTS: Data from 599 children and adolescents was evaluated. The participants presented to care with low CD4 cell count and CD4%, median baseline CD4% was lower in adolescents compared with children (11.0% vs. 15.0%, p<0.0001). The median age at ART initiation was 8.0 years (IQR 3.0, 12.0); median time on ART was 2.9 years (IQR 1.7, 4.5). On ART, median CD4% improved for all age groups but remained below 25%. Older age (≥ 5 years) at ART initiation was associated with severe stunting (HAZ <-2: 53.3% vs. 28.4%, p<0.0001). Virologic failure rate was 30.6% and associated with age at ART initiation. In children, nevirapine based ART regimen was associated with a 3-fold increased risk of failure (AOR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.3, 9.1, p = 0.0180). Children (<10 y) on ART for ≥4 years had higher failure rates than those on ART for <4 years (39.6% vs. 23.9%, p = 0.0239). In those initiating ART as adolescents, each additional year in age above 10 years at the time of ART initiation (AOR 0.4 95%CI: 0.1, 0.9, p = 0.0324), and each additional year on ART (AOR 0.4, 95%CI 0.2, 0.9, p = 0.0379) were associated with decreased risk of virologic failure. Drug resistance was evident in 67.6% of sequenced virus isolates. CONCLUSIONS: During routine programmatic implementation of HIV care for children and adolescents, delayed age at ART initiation has long-term implications on immunologic recovery, growth and virologic outcomes.