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ABSTRACT: The aims of this study were to determine if HIV symptoms among sexual minority men formed clusters and to examine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics that are associated with these clusters. We analyzed cross-sectional data from Ghanaian sexual minority men (N = 225) living with HIV. We used both principal component analysis and multivariable linear regression. Our findings indicate that sadness (64.0%) and headache (62.7%) were the most prevalent symptoms among our sample. Seven symptom clusters were identified: neurological symptoms, psychological symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, dermatological symptoms, self-concept/self-esteem, weight/diet-related symptoms, and sleepquality and potential disturbances. Late HIV diagnosis was significantly associated with higher distress scores for all symptom clusters except for the self-concept/self-esteem and gastrointestinal symptoms clusters. The findings emphasize the importance of early HIV symptom identification.
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AIMS: The aim of the study was to examine perceived stress as a mediator of the association between weight-related discrimination and physical and psychological well-being among persons with type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: Data were obtained from 5104 persons with self-reported T2D participating in the All of Us research programme in the United States. The Everyday Discrimination Scale, Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and PROMIS Global Health Scale were used to measure weight-related discrimination, perceived stress and health outcomes (physical and psychological), respectively. Mediation effects of PSS were tested by bootstrapping with 5000 random samples. RESULTS: Participants were, on average, 63.62 (SD 11.38) years old. Majority of them were female (55.53%), non-Hispanic White (72.61%), married or living with a partner (56.92%), had a household income of <$35,000 (31.99%) and had some college education (33.54%). We found that approximately 18% of study participants reported having experienced weight-related discrimination. We also found that weight-related discrimination was independently associated with poor physical and psychological well-being. These associations were partially mediated by perceived stress such that weight-related discrimination was associated with greater perceived stress, which was in turn associated with poorer physical and psychological well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Given that weight-related discrimination is associated with poor outcomes through elevated stress, interventions that target stress may disrupt this pathway thereby helping to reduce the health impact of weight-related discrimination. This assertion should, however, be tested in future studies.
Assuntos
Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 , Análise de Mediação , Estresse Psicológico , Humanos , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/psicologia , Feminino , Masculino , Estresse Psicológico/psicologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Idoso , Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , Preconceito de Peso/psicologia , Nível de SaúdeRESUMO
Timely HIV diagnosis and medical engagement are crucial for effective viral load suppression and treatment as prevention. However, significant delays persist, particularly in Africa, including Ghana. This study focused on Ghanaian men whose route of exposure to HIV was through same-gender sexual contact (MSM), a group disproportionately impacted by HIV. Using structured surveys, we investigated the sociodemographic factors associated with late HIV diagnosis, a topic with limited existing research. Results indicate that older age groups were associated with an increased risk of late diagnosis compared to the 18-24 age group. Among the demographic variables studied, only age showed a consistent association with late HIV diagnosis. This study underscores the importance of targeted interventions to address HIV diagnosis disparities among MSM in Ghana, particularly for older age groups. The findings emphasize the need for tailored interventions addressing age-related disparities in timely diagnosis and engagement with medical services among this population. Such interventions can play a crucial role in reducing the burden of HIV within this community and fostering improved public health outcomes.