'We have goals but [it is difficult]'. Barriers to antiretroviral therapy adherence among women using alcohol and other drugs living with HIV in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Women living with HIV who misuse alcohol and live in economically disadvantaged settings in South Africa experience a multitude of contextual barriers as they navigate the HIV care continuum. The Women's Health CoOp (WHC), a brief, woman-focused, behavioural, evidence-based intervention, has been shown to be effective in reducing heavy drinking and improving HIV-related outcomes among this key population. However, these women face other broader socioecological barriers to antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. METHODS: The WHC was implemented in a modified, stepped-wedge implementation science trial in public health clinics and substance use treatment programmes in Cape Town, South Africa. A qualitative substudy was conducted to explore barriers to HIV treatment adherence among women enrolled in this trial. Eight focus group discussions were conducted with 69 participants 6 months after completion of the WHC workshops. Focus groups were audio-recorded (with consent), transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 33 years and the mean self-reported number of drinks per day was 13. The main contextual factors influencing participants' ART adherence were intrapersonal-level factors (substance use, financial constraints, food insecurity; community-level factors (anticipated and enacted stigma, community violence) and institutional-level factors (patient-provider relationships, health facility barriers, environmental stigma). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive interventions addressing the contextual barriers and unique challenges faced by women who misuse alcohol in low-resource settings that intersect with HIV treatment nonadherence should be implemented in tandem with successful biobehavioural HIV interventions for long-term effectiveness and sustainability. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Our South African community collaborative board has been involved throughout this study; participants and clinic staff voices have been essential in our interpretation of these findings.

Stigma in the health clinic and implications for PrEP access and use by adolescent girls and young women: conflicting perspectives in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Globally, an urgent need exists to expand access to HIV prevention among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), but the need is particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) offers an effective HIV prevention method. In many countries, however, accessing PrEP necessitates that AGYW visit their local health clinic, where they may face access challenges. Some countries have implemented youth-friendly services to reduce certain challenges in local health clinics, but barriers to access persist, including clinic stigma. However, evidence of clinic stigma toward AGYW, particularly with respect to PrEP service delivery, is still limited. This mixed methods study explores stigma toward AGYW seeking clinic services, in particular PrEP, from the perspective of both clinic staff (clinical and nonclinical) and AGYW who seek services at clinic sites in Tshwane province, South Africa. METHODS: Six focus group discussions were conducted with AGYW (43 total participants) and four with clinic staff (42 total participants) and triangulated with survey data with AGYW (n = 449) and clinic staff (n = 130). Thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data and descriptive statistics were conducted with the survey data. RESULTS: Four common themes emerged across the qualitative and quantitative data and with both AGYW and clinic staff, although with varying degrees of resonance between these two groups. These themes included (1) clinic manifestations of stigma toward AGYW, (2) concerns about providing PrEP services for AGYW, (3) healthcare providers' identity as mothers, and (4) privacy and breaches of confidentiality. An additional theme identified mainly in the AGYW data pertained to stigma and access to healthcare. CONCLUSION: Evidence is needed to inform strategies for addressing clinic stigma toward AGYW, with the goal of removing barriers to PrEP services for this group. While awareness has increased and progress has been achieved around the provision of comprehensive, youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, these programs need to be adapted for the specific concerns of young people seeking PrEP services. Our findings point to the four key areas noted above where programs seeking to address stigma toward AGYW in clinics can tailor their programming.

Alcohol, drug use, and sexual risk among young African American women in North Carolina: Is educational attainment protective?

Previous research shows that educational attainment is a protective factor for substance use and sexual risk among adolescents and young adults. Evidence also shows that this relationship may differ by race/ethnicity and gender. This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between educational attainment, substance use and sexual risk among African American women in emerging adulthood. This study uses cross-sectional data from 646 African American women (aged 18 to 25) enrolled in a randomized trial of a behavioral HIV risk-reduction intervention. At enrollment, participants completed a risk behavior assessment via audio-computer assisted self-interview and provided a urine sample for drug screening. Bivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine substance use and sexual risk factors associated with educational attainment: completing some college or more vs. completing high school or less). Participants who completed some college or more (52%) were more likely to report heavy alcohol use (four or more drinks in one day) in the past 30 days (OR=1.48; p=0.014) and more likely to report alcohol or other drug use just before or during last sex (OR=1.43; p=0.026) compared with participants who completed high school or less. Completing some college or more was protective for having a positive urine screen for cocaine (OR=0.43; p=0.018) and reporting condomless sex at last sex (OR=0.71; p=0.041). Differences in positive marijuana screens, reporting a previous STI, or reporting their partner used alcohol or other drugs at last sex were not statistically significant. The findings reveal notable differences in the magnitude and direction of associations between educational attainment and substance use and sexual risk. Although educational attainment is subject to change because of the frequent pursuit of education during emerging adulthood, the findings may have important implications for tailoring HIV risk-reduction interventions to key populations, such as African American women.