Testing the Effectiveness of a Motivational Interviewing Intervention to Reduce HIV Risk and Drug Use in Young Sexual Minority Men in a Community-Based Organization Setting.

Younger sexual minority men (YSMM) remain at high risk for HIV infection and substance use increases this risk. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a (4-session) motivational interviewing (MI) intervention to reduce substance use and sexual risk taking when delivered at two community-based organizations (CBOs) in the New York City metropolitan area. Participants included 86 YSMM aged 15-29 who reported recent sexual HIV transmission risk and substance use. Overall, 86% of the sample identified as a racial or ethnic minority. Within each CBO, participants were randomized to receive either the MI intervention or enhanced treatment as usual (an HIV testing session plus PrEP information and referrals to CBO services). Contrary to hypotheses, results provided no indication that the MI intervention was associated with reductions in substance use (alcohol, cannabis, or other illicit drug use) or sexual risk taking or current PrEP use. Results are discussed in terms of challenges in real world intervention implementation, study enrollment, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

RAPIDIRON Trial follow-up study - the RAPIDIRON-KIDS Study: protocol of a prospective observational follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is a worldwide problem with iron deficiency being the most common cause. When anemia occurs in pregnancy, it increases the risk of adverse maternal, fetal, and postnatal outcomes. It induces preterm births and low birth weight (LBW) deliveries, long-term neurodevelopmental sequelae, and an increased risk of earlier onset of postnatal iron deficiency. Anemia rates are among the highest in South Asia, and India's National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) for 2019-2021 indicated that over half of pregnant women, and more than 65% of children, in the country are classified as anemic (Sciences IIfP, National Family Health Survey-5, 2019-21, India Fact Sheet). In 2021, the parent RAPIDIRON Trial (Derman et al., Trials 22:649, 2021) was initiated in two states in India, with the goal of assessing whether a dose of intravenous (IV) iron given to anemic women during early pregnancy results in a greater proportion of participants with normal hemoglobin concentrations in the third trimester and a lower proportion of participants with LBW deliveries compared to oral iron. As a follow-up to the RAPIDIRON Trial, the RAPIDIRON-KIDS Study will follow the offspring of previously randomized mothers to assess, neurobehavioral, hematological, and health outcomes. METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study will follow a subset of participants previously randomized as part of the RAPIDIRON Trial and their newborns. Study visits occur at birth, 6 weeks, 4 months, 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months and include blood sample collection with both maternal and infant participants and specific neurobehavioral assessments conducted with the infants (depending on the study visit). The primary outcomes of interest are (1) infant iron status as indicated by both hemoglobin and ferritin (a) at birth and (b) at 4 months of age and (2) the developmental quotient (DQ) for the cognitive domain of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development Version IV (BSID-IV) at 24 months of age. DISCUSSION: This RAPIDIRON-KIDS Study builds upon its parent RAPIDIRON Trial by following a subset of the previously randomized participants and their offspring through the first 3 years of life to assess neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral (infants, children), hematological, and health outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05504863 , Registered on 17 August 2022. Clinical Trials Registry - India CTRI/2022/05/042933 . Registered on 31 May 2022.

Comparing the Efficiency of Online and Field-Based Outreach for the Recruitment of Black and Latino Sexual Minority Men into an HIV Prevention Implementation Trial.

Rates of HIV diagnoses among young Black and Latino sexual minority men (SMM) have continued to increase since 2011; meanwhile, overall rates in the USA have decreased. Despite their importance, academic and medical institutions have often struggled to engage and recruit racial and ethnic minority SMM in HIV prevention services and research. The current study compares the success of two strategies for recruiting racial and ethnic minority SMM. Recruitment occurred in the context of a larger implementation study testing the effectiveness of a substance use and HIV prevention intervention among SMM at high risk for HIV infection. SMM (n = 778) were reached through either (1) field-based outreach conducted by two local community-based organizations (CBOs) delivering the intervention or (2) online recruitment coordinated by the trial's academic research partner. Field-based recruitment reached a significantly larger proportion of Black (42.9% vs. 18.2% reached online) and Latino individuals (40.3% vs. 28.1% reached online). Although online recruitment reached a greater proportion of SMM who met trial eligibility criteria (58.4% vs. 35.3% for field-based outreach; χ2(1) = 38.471, p < .001), a greater proportion of eligible participants identified through field-based outreach actually enrolled into the study trial (30.9% vs. 18.8% for online recruitment; χ2(1) = 7.82, p < .01). As a result, field-based recruitment required fewer recruitment staff hours (2.62 per enrolled participant) than online recruitment (3.46 recruitment staff hours per enrolled participant). Findings illustrate the potential for field-based, CBO-executed recruitment to reach Black and Latino SMM and for CBOs to successfully enroll those identified as eligible. Future prevention and implementation research should routinely engage community partners in the development of study recruitment strategies in a manner that can inform outreach and marketing efforts for HIV prevention research and prevention. Clinicaltrials.gov = NCT03488914.

Gay and bisexual men's experiences using self-testing kits for HIV and rectal and urethral bacterial sexually transmitted infections: Lessons learned from a study with home-based testing.

This study investigated the experiences of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) conducting HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) self-testing procedures. We analyzed mixed-methods data from 11 GBM who self-tested HIV-positive and 1,070 HIV-negative GBM who completed the HIV self-testing and STI self-sampling procedures. Nearly all (99%) reported ease in urine-based STI self-sampling and most (90%) found rectal swab self-collection easy. Most (94%) checked their rapid-HIV self-testing results during the correct window (20-40 minutes), and nearly all (99%) trusted their HIV results. Recommendations for future self-testing procedures are provided based on findings from free-response data.