ABSTRACT
Black cisgender sexually minoritized men (SMM) and transgender women (TW) are subgroups at highest risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the US. We sought to identify factors facilitating continued conversations - social reinforcement - surrounding HIV/STI prevention among this subgroup. Participants were recruited in Chicago from 2018 to 2019 from community health spaces. Participants provided information about themselves (level 2) and ⩽5 confidants (level 1). We used multinomial multilevel modeling to identify associations with HIV/STI prevention conversation frequency. A total of 370 participants provided information on 987 confidants (mean = 2.6). We found significantly positive associations between having biweekly or more often HIV/STI prevention conversations and a confidant being a kin family member, older by 15 years or more, racially homophilous, and emotionally close. Future interventions should harness social networks by including components that consider racial homophily, respect for elders, and strong ties, in addition to applying kin family systems interventions approaches and decreasing stigma surrounding HIV/STIs.
Subject(s)
HIV Infections , Sexually Transmitted Diseases , Social Networking , Humans , Male , Chicago/epidemiology , Female , HIV Infections/prevention & control , HIV Infections/epidemiology , HIV Infections/psychology , Sexually Transmitted Diseases/prevention & control , Sexually Transmitted Diseases/epidemiology , Adult , Cohort Studies , Young Adult , Adolescent , Transgender Persons/psychology , Transgender Persons/statistics & numerical data , Middle Aged , Black or African American/psychology , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Social Support , Communication , Social Stigma , Sexual and Gender Minorities/psychology , Sexual and Gender Minorities/statistics & numerical data , Sexual Behavior/psychologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: A survey was developed to assess experience and opinions about Lyme disease and post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) among faculties in public health. No previous surveys of public health faculties have been found in the literature. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross sectional study of public health school faculty members designed to measure knowledge and experience with Lyme disease and PTLDS using an internet survey instrument. METHODS: Participants were recruited using all the publicly available e-mail addresses of faculty members in all the 50 accredited Schools of Public Health in the United States. RESULTS: A 15% response rate was seen for the survey. 50% of respondents were from Lyme endemic states. Less than 5% of faculty members consider themselves expert in Lyme or PTLDS. Many faculty members had known someone with Lyme disease or PTLDS, but few had been diagnosed themselves. Most believe that PTLDS can be severe and chronic, is not easy to treat, and does not resolve on its own, but were uncertain about its aetiology. Most respondents also felt that the incidence of Lyme disease will increase and that more education is needed. CONCLUSIONS: The need for further understanding and communication presents an opportunity for public health research and education in Lyme disease and the sequelae of PTLDS.
