Perception of coercion during contraceptive counseling among individuals with HIV.

OBJECTIVE: Historically, individuals with HIV have reported feeling coerced during contraceptive counseling or experienced forced sterilization. The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions of coercion related to counseling and influence on postpartum contraceptive choice among individuals with HIV. METHODS: This is a mixed methods study conducted in Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina between March 2020 and June 2021. Participants completed a survey to assess their experiences with contraception counseling and perceived coercion. An Interpersonal Quality of Family Planning (IQFP) care score was calculated to assess quality of counseling. Qualitative analyses were performed on narrative responses. Bivariate and regression analyses were used to evaluate factors associated with perceived coercion and IQFP scores. RESULTS: 100 surveys were collected. The median age of respondents was 29 (IQR 24-35). The median IQFP score was 53 (IQR 44-55) and 45 % of individuals had a maximum IQFP score of 55. Most individuals (96 %) report that a provider "did a good job" explaining contraceptive options and 26 % report their provider's preference affected their contraceptive choice to some degree. Few (11 %) respondents felt pressured to use long-acting reversible contraception postpartum. This perceived coercion was more likely when a provider suggested a specific contraceptive method, aOR 6.1 [95 % CI 1.1-33.1] and such specific provider suggestions were reported by one-third of respondents. CONCLUSION: While perceived coercion was reported by few individuals with HIV, it was strongly associated with the provider making a specific method suggestion. Disproportionate provider influence in the final contraceptive decision occurred in one-quarter of individuals. More research is needed to discern to what extent provider preference compromises patient autonomy in shared decision-making.

HPV Vaccination Communication Messages, Messengers, and Messaging Strategies.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes over 39,000 cancers annually in the US. The HPV vaccine is safe and effective but underutilized to prevent cancer. In the US, only 37% of adolescents ages 13-17 have received the full vaccine series. Ineffective messages and misinformation about the vaccine have negatively impacted its uptake in the US. It was initially only approved for girls and early marketing focused on cervical cancer prevention and prevention of HPV as a sexually transmitted infection. Understanding effective messages and methods of dissemination is critical to address suboptimal vaccine uptake. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 34 participants to identify best practices for HPV vaccination messaging in SC. Participants included state leaders representing public health, medical associations, K-12 public schools, universities, insurers, and cancer advocacy organizations. Recommended HPV vaccine messages included focusing on cancer prevention rather than sexual transmission, routinizing the vaccine, and highlighting risks/costs of HPV. Targeting messages to specific demographics and utilizing multiple media platforms to disseminate consistent, scientifically accurate messages were recommended. Strategies such as appealing to parents' moral responsibility to protect their children against cancer and addressing the ubiquity of HPV and sharing growing evidence that HPV may be transmitted independent of sexual activity were also recommended. Suggested HPV vaccine messengers included trusted peers, medical professionals, and health associations. Culture-centered narratives to raise the voices of cancer survivors and parents were also recommended. This study provides an array of HPV vaccination messages and dissemination strategies for optimizing HPV vaccination rates.