Cumulative Effects of Adding a Small Group Intervention to Social Network Testing on HIV Testing Rates Among Crack Users in San Salvador, El Salvador.

The present study evaluates a combination prevention intervention for crack users in San Salvador, El Salvador that included social network HIV testing, community events and small group interventions. We examined the cumulative effects of the social network HIV testing and small group interventions on rates of HIV testing, beyond the increase that we saw with the introduction of the social network HIV testing intervention alone. HIV test data was converted into the number of daily tests and analyzed the immediate and overtime impact of small group interventions during and in the twelve weeks after the small group intervention. The addition of the small group interventions to the baseline of monthly HIV tests resulted in increased rates of testing lasting 7 days after the small group interventions suggesting a reinforcing effect of small group interventions on testing rates.

Prevenção do HIV/Aids em municípios da Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil: hiatos entre a política global atual e as respostas locais / HIV/AIDS prevention in municipalities in Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: gaps between global policy and local responses / Prevención del VIH/Sida en municipios de la Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil: hiatos entre la política global y las respuestas locales

As políticas globais e nacional de resposta à Aids têm enfatizado atualmente o tratamento como prevenção, as profilaxias pós e pré-exposição ao HIV e a prevenção combinada. O artigo analisa a tradução dessas políticas no âmbito local, com base em uma pesquisa social em municípios da região metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro centrada no contexto programático de prevenção e cuidado do HIV/Aids e na vulnerabilidade ao HIV de gays, travestis e prostitutas. Os hiatos entre as diretrizes e os contextos locais são abordados a partir de quatro temas: ampliação da oferta de testagem; desafios das ações focalizadas; distância entre testar e tratar; e o alcance das combinações na prevenção combinada. Buscamos demonstrar a importância da compreensão dos processos sociais que perpassam a implementação das estratégias preconizadas globalmente, que precisam ainda ser consideradas no enfrentamento da epidemia.(AU)

Global and national AIDS response policies emphasize treatment as prevention, pre and post- exposure prophylaxis, and combination prevention. This article analyzes the implementation of such policies at local level drawing on the findings of a social study conducted in municipalities in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro , Brasil, centered on HIV/AIDS prevention and care and the vulnerability of gays, transvestites, and prostitutes. The gaps between policy and local action are addressed focusing on four issues: the expansion of HIV testing, challenges facing targeted actions, the distance between testing and treatment, and the reach of combinations in combination prevention. We demonstrate the importance of understanding the social processes that cut across the implementation of the global recommendations and guidelines and suggest that these processes must to be taken into account to effectively tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic.(AU)

Las políticas globales y nacional de respuesta al Sida han enfatizado actualmente el tratamiento como prevención, las profilaxis post y preexposición al VIH y la prevención combinada. El artículo analiza la traducción de esas políticas en el ámbito local, con base en una investigación social en municipios de la región metropolitana de Río de Janeiro, Brasil, centrada en el contexto programático de prevención y cuidado del VIH/Sida y la vulnerabilidad al VIH de gais, travestis y prostitutas. Los hiatos entre las directrices y los contextos locales se abordan a partir de cuatro temas: ampliación de la oferta de testes, desafíos de las acciones focalizadas, la distancia entre el teste y el tratamiento y el alcance de las combinaciones en la prevención combinada. Buscamos demostrar la importancia de la comprensión de los procesos sociales presentes en la implementación de las estrategias preconizadas globalmente que todavía tienen que llevarse en consideración en el enfrentamiento de la epidemia.(AU)

A social systems analysis of implementation of El Salvador's national HIV combination prevention: a research agenda for evaluating Global Health Initiatives.

BACKGROUND: Global Health Initiatives (GHIs) have been instrumental in the rapid acceleration of HIV prevention, treatment access, and availability of care and support services for people living with HIV (PLH) in low and middle income countries (LMIC). These efforts have increasingly used combination prevention approaches that include biomedical, behavioral, social and structural interventions to reduce HIV incidence. However, little research has evaluated their implementation. We report results of qualitative research to examine the implementation of a national HIV combination prevention strategy in El Salvador funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. METHODS: We conducted in-depth interviews with principal recipients of the funding, members of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) and front line peer outreach workers and their clients. We analyzed the data using a dynamic systems framework. RESULTS: El Salvador's national HIV combination prevention strategy had three main goals: 1) to decrease the sexual risk behaviors of men who have sex with men (MSM), commercial sex workers (CSW) and transgender women (TW); 2) to increase HIV testing rates among members of these populations and the proportion of PLH who know their status; and 3) to improve linkage to HIV treatment and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Intervention components to achieve these goals included peer outreach, community prevention centers and specialized STI/HIV clinics, and new adherence and retention protocols for PLH. In each intervention component, we identified several factors which reinforced or diminished intervention efforts. Factors that negatively affected all intervention activities were an increase in violence in El Salvador during implementation of the strategy, resistance to decentralization, and budget constraints. Factors that affected peer outreach and sexual risk reduction were the human resource capacity of grassroots organizations and conflicts of the national HIV strategy with other organizational missions. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the national strategy improved access to HIV prevention and care through efforts to improve capacity building of grass roots organizations, reduced stigma, and improved coordination among organizations. However, failure to respond to environmental and organizational factors limited the intervention's potential impact.