A Rapid Review of eHealth Interventions Addressing the Continuum of HIV Care (2007-2017).

National HIV prevention goals call for interventions that address Continuum of HIV Care (CoC) for persons living with HIV. Electronic health (eHealth) can leverage technology to rapidly develop and disseminate such interventions. We conducted a qualitative review to synthesize (a) technology types, (b) CoC outcomes, (c) theoretical frameworks, and (d) behavior change mechanisms. This rapid review of eHealth, HIV-related articles (2007-2017) focused on technology-based interventions that reported CoC-related outcomes. Forty-five studies met inclusion criteria. Mobile texting was the most commonly reported technology (44.4%, k = 20). About 75% (k = 34) of studies showed proven or preliminary efficacy for improving CoC-related outcomes. Most studies (60%, k = 27) focused on medication adherence; 20% (k = 9) measured virologic suppression. Many eHealth interventions with preliminary or proven efficacy relied on mobile technology and integrated knowledge/cognition as behavior change mechanisms. This review identified gaps in development and application of eHealth interventions regarding CoC.

HIV acquisition and transmission among men who have sex with men and women: What we know and how to prevent it.

Men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) compose a subset of men who have sex with men (MSM) and represent an estimated 35% of MSM. Research on the HIV risk behaviors of MSMW has largely focused on their behaviors in comparison to men who have sex with men only (MSMO). Results suggest that compared to MSMO, MSMW are less likely to have ever had an HIV test, are at greater risk of being unaware of their HIV infection and are less likely to have encountered HIV prevention activities or materials. Additional research is needed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the unique sexual behaviors and lived experience of MSMW as a group in order to better inform HIV prevention efforts. The purpose of this paper is to summarize existing data and discuss strategies to reduce HIV acquisition and transmission among MSMW.

Evaluating Locally Developed Interventions to Promote PrEP Among Racially/Ethnically Diverse Transgender Women in the United States: A Unique CDC Initiative.

In the United States, transgender women are disproportionately affected by HIV. However, few evidence-based prevention interventions exist for this key population. We describe two promising, locally developed interventions that are currently being implemented and evaluated through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Combination HIV Prevention for Transgender Women Project: (a) ChiCAS, designed to promote the uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), condom use, and medically supervised hormone therapy among Spanish-speaking transgender Latinas, and (b) TransLife Care, designed to address the structural drivers of HIV risk through access to housing, employment, legal services, and medical services, including HIV preventive care (e.g., PrEP use) among racially/ethnically diverse urban transgender women. If the evaluation trials determine that these interventions are effective, they will be among the first such interventions for use with transgender women incorporating PrEP, thereby contributing to the evidence-based resources that may be used to reduce HIV risk among this population.

PrEP Awareness in the Context of HIV/AIDS Conspiracy Beliefs Among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino MSM in Three Urban US Cities.

We examined HIV conspiracy beliefs and PrEP awareness in a convenience sample of minority MSM. Participants in three cities completed a behavioral self-assessment on sociodemographics, PrEP awareness, and HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs. HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs were more common among Black than Latino MSM (58% vs. 42%, p < .05), and among younger men than older men (age 18-29 (50%), 30-39 (22%), 40+ (28%); p < .05). PrEP awareness co-occurred with conspiracy belief less (37%) than with non-belief (63%, p < .05), persisting in multivariable regression (aOR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.38-0.71). This relationship suggests that current HIV care and prevention messaging is either inaccessible or not credible to some minority subpopulations.