Structural disadvantage and HIV risk - comparing risk factors between trans women's partnerships with cis men and trans women sexual partners.

Introduction: Little is known about differences in HIV risk for trans women by partner gender, particularly with respect to social determinants and partner-level circumstances that affect behavior. We examined differences in demographic, social determinants, and HIV-related risk behaviors for trans women with cis men and trans women sexual partners. Materials and Methods: Data are from a cross-sectional survey of trans women and their sexual partners conducted between April 2020 and January 2021. Interviews were held remotely during shelter-in-place due to Covid-19 via videoconference. Analysis characterizedassociations between HIV risk and protective behaviors comparing trans women with cisgender men partners to trans women with non-cisgender sexual partners. Results: A total of 336 sexual partners were identified from 156 trans women. Trans women with cis men partners had significantly less education and employment and more incarceration and recidivism than trans women with trans women partners. Trans women and their cisgender men partners had shared experiences of unstable housing, incarceration, and HIV. Trans women with cisgender men partners reported significantly more sex exchange partners, receptive condomless sex, receptive or insertive condomless sex while using substances, and HIV infection compared to trans women with trans women partners. Conclusions: Trans women with cisgender men sexual partners faced higher HIV risk than trans women with trans women sexual partners. These risks may be related to the social and economic drivers that both trans women and their cis men partners faced, including barriers to education and employment, along with incarceration and recidivism. Interventions focused on economic stability, workforce development and post incarceration re-entry support for housing and employment for trans women with cis men partners and the cisgender men partners as well may have the most impact on reducing HIV risk and incidence.

Contextualizing Inequities in COVID Vaccination Trends Among Project REFOCUS Pilot Sites: Racism-Related Determinants of Health.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID) dashboards rarely provide insights about the racialized contexts in which vaccination inequities occur. Objective: The purpose of this study was to use the emerging Project REFOCUS dashboard to contextualize COVID vaccination patterns among 6 diverse communities. Methods: We queried the dashboard to generate descriptive statistics on vaccination trends and racism-related contextual factors among the 6 Project REFOCUS pilot sites (Albany, Georgia, Bronx, New York, Detroit, Michigan, Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, San Antonio, Texas, and Wake County, North Carolina). Results: Vaccination rates, demographic indicators, and contextual factors differed across sites. As of October 17, 2022, the proportion of people who had received at least 1 COVID vaccine dose ranged from 58.4% (Wayne County, Michigan) to 95.0% (Wake County, North Carolina). The pilot sites with the greatest percentage of Black residents (Dougherty County, Georgia, Wayne County, Michigan, and Phillips County, Arkansas) had lower proportions of fully vaccinated people. Wayne County, Michigan, had the highest level of residential segregation between Black and White residents (78.5%) and non-White and White residents (68.8%), whereas Phillips County, Arkansas, had the highest overall mortgage denial rates (38.9%). Both counties represent settings where over 75.0% of residents report Black race and over 30.0% of the population live in poverty. Discussion: The dashboard integrates racism-related factors with COVID vaccination visualizations and provides a fuller picture of the context in which COVID trends are occurring. Conclusions: Community organizers, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners can track racism-related factors and other social determinants of health as part of the contexts in which COVID-related inequities occur.

Transphobic Adverse Childhood Experiences as a Determinant of Mental and Sexual Health for Young Trans Women in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This study characterized the prevalence of transphobic adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among young trans women (YTW) and assessed its relationship with poor mental health and sexual risk. A survey was administered between 2012 and 2014 to 300 YTW aged 16-24 living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Transphobic childhood verbal abuse, physical abuse, and high transphobic childhood adversity were endemic, and we found strong associations with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and any and receptive anal intercourse. ACEs may be critical social determinants of mental and sexual health for YTW and validated measures to screen for ACEs are needed, along with interventions that provide gender-affirmative support for parents.

COVID-19 Symptoms, Testing, and Test Positivity Among Trans Women in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2020-2021.

Background: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is negatively impacting vulnerable and marginalized communities. Growing research among sexual and gender minority communities shows increased COVID-19 risk and burden due to underlying social structure factors, however, not as much is known about the impact on trans women. Our team gathered data on COVID-19 risk, self-reported prevalence, and testing behaviors as part of an ongoing study of trans women's HIV risk and partnerships to fill this gap in data. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from The Partners Study, a study of HIV risk and transmission among trans women and their sexual partners in the San Francisco Bay Area. We collected COVID-19-related data from 87 trans women from July 2020 to January 2021. Participants were asked whether they were tested for COVID-19, had symptoms, or tested positive for the virus between March 2020 to the time they were screened to participate for a survey interview. Results: The majority of trans women did not report experiencing COVID-19 symptoms (85.05%, n=74/87) since March 2020. More than half had been tested for COVID-19 (68.9%, n=60/87). Overall, we found a COVID-19 prevalence of 8.33% (n=5/60) among those who received a COVID-19 test. Public Health Implications: The COVID-19 prevalence among trans women in our sample was higher than in other gender groups in San Francisco, suggesting that trans women may be disproportionately impacted by this disease. More research is needed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on trans women, and to develop strategies to increase testing and vaccinations among vulnerable communities preventing onward spread.

The Dose Response Effects of Digital HIV Care Navigation on Mental Health and Viral Suppression Among Young People Living With HIV: Single-Arm, Prospective Study With a Pre-Post Design.

BACKGROUND: The HIV epidemic has revealed considerable disparities in health among sexual and gender minorities of color within the Unites States, disproportionately affecting cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM) and trans women. Social inequities further disadvantage those with intersectional identities through homophobia, antitrans discrimination, and racism, shaping not only those at risk for HIV infection but also HIV prevention and care outcomes. Digital interventions have great potential to address barriers and improve HIV care among cisgender MSM and trans women; however, efficacy of digital HIV care interventions vary and need further examination. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the 12-month efficacy of a 6-month digital HIV care navigation intervention among young people living with HIV in San Francisco, California. We examined dose-response relationships among intervention exposure (eg, text messaging), viral suppression, and mental health. Health electronic navigation (eNav) is a 6-month, text message-based, digital HIV care navigation intervention, in which young people living with HIV are connected to their own HIV care navigator through text messaging to improve engagement in HIV primary care. METHODS: This study had a single-arm, prospective, pre-post design. Eligibility criteria for the study included the following: identifying as cisgender MSM or trans women, being between the ages of 18 and 34 years, being newly diagnosed with HIV, or not being engaged or retained in HIV care or having a detectable viral load. We assessed and analyzed sociodemographics, intervention exposure, and HIV care and mental health outcome data for participants who completed the 6-month Health eNav intervention. We assessed all outcomes using generalized estimating equations to account for within-subjects correlation, and marginal effects of texting engagement on all outcomes were calculated over the entire 12-month study period. Finally, we specified an interaction between texting engagement and time to evaluate the effects of texting engagement on outcomes. RESULTS: Over the entire 12-month period, this study shows that every one-text increase in engagement was associated with an increased odds of undetectable viral load (adjusted odds ratio 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.02; P=.03). Mean negative mental health experiences decreased significantly at 12 months compared to baseline for every one-text increase in engagement (coefficient on interaction term 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.99; P<.01). CONCLUSIONS: Digital care navigation interventions including Health eNav may be a critical component in the health delivery service system as the digital safety net for those whose social vulnerability is exacerbated in times of crisis, disasters, or global pandemics owing to multiple social inequities. We found that increased engagement in a digital HIV care navigation intervention helped improve viral suppression and mental health-intersecting comorbid conditions-6 months after the intervention concluded. Digital care navigation may be a promising, effective, sustainable, and scalable intervention. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/16406.

HIV prevalence, engagement in care, and risk behavior among trans women, San Francisco: Evidence of recent successes and remaining challenges.

BACKGROUND: Trans women have high HIV prevalence and lag behind 90-90-90 targets for HIV care. In San Francisco in 2017, 96% of trans women were aware of their status, 75% were on antiretroviral therapy, 88% had viral suppression. Initiatives to address gaps include peer navigators, free gender-affirming surgery, and housing. Our study updates HIV prevalence and engagement in care among trans women. METHODS: Cross-sectional community-based survey of trans women living in San Francisco sampled by respondent-driven sampling, 7/2019-2/2020 (N = 201). Eligibility was: self-identified trans women or other gender and assigned male at birth; living in San Francisco; English/Spanish-speaking; and 18 years or older. RESULTS: HIV prevalence was 42.3% (95%CI 35.4.-49.4) and associated with having a partner who injected drugs (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 3.30, 95%CI 1.58-6.90), ever injected drugs (AOR 2.28, 95%CI 1.06-4.89), cost not a barrier to healthcare (AOR 2.63, 95%CI 1.02-6.67), emotional support from family (AOR 2.85, 95%CI 1.43-5.65), and Black/African-American (AOR 2.59, 95%CI 1.16-5.79). Of trans women with HIV, 92.9% were previously diagnosed, 89.9% were on ART, 91.5% reported viral suppression. CONCLUSIONS: Trans women met 90-90-90 targets in 2020, at 93-90-92. Interventions need to reach Black/African-American trans women, trans women who inject drugs, and partners of trans women.

Prevalence and Correlates of Violence Experienced by Trans Women.

Objectives: To measure the prevalence and correlates of intimate partner, physical, and sexual violence experienced by trans women. Materials and Methods: A National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) Study of 201 trans women was conducted in San Francisco from July 2019 to February 2020 using respondent-driven sampling. Prevalence ratio tests were used to test differences in the prevalence of violence by demographic characteristics including housing status. Results: Among 201 trans women interviewed, 26.9% were currently homeless. In the past year, 59.7% had been homeless, 34.3% changed housing, 60.7% had a housing situation other than renting or owning. Experiences of violence were common: 36.8% experienced any form of violence, including sexual (16.9%), intimate partner (14.9%), and other physical (25.4%) in the past year. Experiences of violence were significantly associated with multiple measures of housing insecurity. Younger age, being misgendered, and substance use were also associated with experiences of violence. Conclusions: Trans women face dual crises in housing and violence. Affordable, subsidized, and safe housing has the potential to reduce the exposure and vulnerability to violence faced by trans women.

A global cautionary tale: discrimination and violence against trans women worsen despite investments in public resources and improvements in health insurance access and utilization of health care.

BACKGROUND: To determine if improvements in social determinants of health for trans women and decreases in transphobic discrimination and violence occurred over three study periods during which extensive local programs were implemented to specifically address longstanding inequities suffered by the transgender community. METHODS: Interviewer-administered surveys from repeated cross-sectional Transwomen Empowered to Advance Community Health (TEACH) studies in 2010, 2013 and 2016-2017 in San Francisco collected experiences with transphobia violence and discrimination. Respondent-driven sampling was used to obtain a sample of participants who identified as a trans woman. RESULTS: Violence due to gender identity was prevalent; in each study period, verbal abuse or harassment was reported by over 83% of participants, and physical abuse or harassment was reported by over 56%. Adverse social determinants of health including homelessness, living below the poverty limit, methamphetamine use, depression, PTSD, and anxiety all significantly increased from 2010 to 2016. When testing for trends, housing discrimination and physical violence were both more likely in 2016-2017 compared to the two earlier study periods. Housing discrimination (aOR 1.41, 95% CI 1.00-1.98) and physical violence due to gender identity/presentation (aOR 1.39, 95% CI 1.00-1.92) both significantly increased from 2010 to 2016. CONCLUSION: Our findings are particularly alarming during a period when significant public health resources and community-based initiatives specifically for trans women were implemented and could have reasonably led us to expect improvements. Despite these efforts, physical violence and housing discrimination among trans women worsened during the study periods. To ensure future improvements, research and interventions need to shift the focus and burden from trans people to cisgender people who are the perpetuators of anti-trans sentiment, stigma, discrimination and victimization.

In Their Own Words: How Trans Women Acquired HIV Infection.

Despite high HIV prevalence, the reasons trans women acquire HIV are not well understood. Trans women are often mis-classified or aggregated with men who have sex with men (MSM) in epidemiologic studies and HIV surveillance data. Trans women enrolled in the 2019/2020 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Study in San Francisco were asked an open-ended question about how they were infected with HIV. The most common responses were "Sex with a straight cisgender man partner when the respondent identified as a trans woman" (43.0%); "Sexual assault" (13.9%); "Injection drug use (IDU)" (10.1%); "IDU or sexual contact" (7.6%) and "Sex with a partner who injected drugs" (7.6%). Sex with a cisgender man partner prior to identifying as a trans women (MSM contact) was not mentioned by any respondent. HIV prevention strategies targeting MSM will fail to reach trans women and many of their cisgender men partners.

RESUMEN: A pesar de la alta prevalencia del VIH, las razones por las que las mujeres trans adquieren el VIH no se comprenden bien. Las mujeres trans a menudo se clasifican erróneamente o se agregan a los hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH) en los estudios epidemiológicos y en los datos de vigilancia del VIH. A las mujeres trans inscritas en el Estudio Nacional de Vigilancia del Comportamiento del VIH 2019/2020 en San Francisco se les hizo una pregunta abierta sobre cómo se infectaron con el VIH. Las respuestas más comunes fueron "Sexo con una pareja heterosexual de hombre cisgénero cuando el encuestado se identificó como una mujer trans" (43,0%); "Agresión sexual" (13,9%); "Uso de drogas inyectables (UDI)" (10,1%); "UDI o contacto sexual" (7,6%) y "Sexo con pareja que se inyecta drogas" (7,6%). Ningún encuestado mencionó el sexo con una pareja hombre cisgénero antes de identificarse como mujer trans (contacto HSH). Las estrategias de prevención del VIH dirigidas a los HSH no llegarán a las mujeres trans ni a muchas de sus parejas masculinas.

Improved PrEP Awareness and Use among Trans Women in San Francisco, California.

Transgender women face a serious risk of HIV infection. Despite this, there is limited knowledge and use of Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). We measured the continuity of prevention across services in the PrEP cascade and correlates of PrEP use among trans women in San Francisco enrolled in the 2019/20 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Study. Knowledge and use of PrEP among trans women in San Francisco increased in recent years; almost all (94.0%) had heard about PrEP, 64.7% had discussed PrEP with a healthcare provider, and 44.8% had taken PrEP in the past 12 months. PrEP use was associated with participation in a PrEP demonstration project (aOR = 31.44, p = 0.001) and condomless receptive anal intercourse (aOR = 3.63, p = 0.024). Injection drug use was negatively associated (aOR = 0.19, p = 0.014). Efforts are needed to combat the gender-based stigma and discrimination faced by trans women, which can result in avoidance and mistrust of the medical system.

RESUMEN: Las mujeres trans enfrentan un grave riesgo de infección por el VIH. A pesar de ello, hay conocimiento y utilización limitada de la profilaxis previa a la exposición (PrEP). Medimos la continuidad de prevención a través de los servicios en la cascada de PrEP y los correlatos del uso de PrEP entre mujeres trans en San Francisco inscritas en el Estudio Nacional de Vigilancia del Comportamiento del VIH en 2019/20. El conocimiento y el uso de PrEP entre las mujeres trans en San Francisco aumentó en los últimos años; casi todas (94.0%) habían escuchado sobre PrEP, el 64.7% habían hablado de PrEP con un proveedor de atención médica y el 44.8% había tomado PrEP en los últimos 12 meses. El uso de PrEP se asoció con el uso actual con participación en un proyecto de demostración de PrEP (ORa = 31.44, p = 0.001) y el coito anal receptivo sin condón (ORa = 3.63, p = 0.024). El uso de drogas inyectables se asoció negativamente (ORa = 0.19, p = 0.014). Se necesitan esfuerzos para combatir el estigma y la discriminación basados en el género que enfrentan las mujeres trans, que pueden resultar en la evitación y desconfianza en el sistema medico.".

Disparities in Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing and the Need to Strengthen Comprehensive Sexual Health Services for Trans Women.

Purpose: Few studies have examined the importance of improving the sexual health delivery system beyond HIV among trans women. We assessed survey data from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Transgender Woman (NHBS-Trans) Study in San Francisco to characterize the utilization of sexual health services among HIV-negative trans women and to explore opportunities to improve sexual health services for trans women. Methods: Trans women were recruited through respondent-driven sampling from July 2019 to February 2020. The analytic sample was restricted to 116 HIV-negative trans women. We identified trends in data using chi-squared tests to assess significance between sexual risk behavior and the use of preventative sexual health services and built logistic regression models to assess the relationships between sexual risk behaviors and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing. Results: The majority of sample was trans women of color with most identifying as Latinx (42.2%). Over half were low income (56%), and majority had been homeless in past 12 months (62.9%). The prevalence of condomless receptive anal sex was 52.6% with about two-thirds (62.1%) recently having an STI test. Participants who engaged in recent condomless receptive anal sex had more than fivefold greater odds of having a recent STI test compared to their counterparts who did not (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 5.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.83-17.11; p=0.003). We also found age- and education-related disparities in STI testing. Conclusion: This study characterized the utilization of sexual health services among HIV-negative trans women and identified important disparities in STI testing. We discuss opportunities to strengthen sexual health care delivery systems.

Reaching trans women in San Francisco for efforts to eliminate hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C infections continue to rise among marginalized communities, including among transgender people. Efforts to eliminate hepatitis C from San Francisco require successful identification of active HCV infections among transgender women and subsequent treatment of infection. This secondary analysis of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Transgender Women (NHBS-Trans) Study aims to identify areas of improvement in the hepatitis C care cascade and associated barriers that preclude successful treatment. One hundred and eighty (89.6%) trans women reported being previously screened for HCV, 47 (26.1%) reported being diagnosed with HCV, twenty-eight of the 47 (59.6%) who reported HCV diagnosis also reported that they received HCV treatment, with and 24 of the 28 (85.7%) reported completing their treatment. Overall, we detected HCV antibodies among 23.9% of participants and detected HCV RNA among 6.0%. This suggests that despite improvements in screening for HCV, active cases may not be successfully treated. Efforts to reduce barriers to HCV care should be prioritized, with heightened consideration for trans-specific needs.

High hepatitis C virus seropositivity, viremia, and associated risk factors among trans women living in San Francisco, California.

Trans women have been understudied in the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic, yet data suggest they may be at elevated risk of the disease. Using data collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) survey, we measured HCV seropositivity, viremia, and associated risk factors for HCV infection among trans women in San Francisco from June 2019 to February 2020. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used to obtain a diverse, community-based sample of 201 trans women, of whom 48 (23.9%, 95% CI 17.9% - 30.0%) were HCV seropositive. HCV seropositivity significantly increased with increasing age (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] 1.04 per year, 95% CI 1.01-1.07) and history of injection drug use (APR 4.44, 95% CI 2.15-9.18). We also found that many had HCV viremia as twelve (6.0% of the total sample, 95% CI 2.7% - 9.3%) were RNA-positive for HCV. Trans women are highly impacted by HCV and could benefit from access to regular and frequent HCV screening and treatment access. HCV screening could be offered regularly in trans-specific health services, in the community, in jails and prisons, and integrated syringe exchange programs where treatment access or referral are also available.

Event-Level Association Between Daily Alcohol Use and Same-Day Nonadherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men and Trans Women Living With HIV: Intensive Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Young trans women (TW) and men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately impacted by HIV. Optimizing adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is one mechanism by which public health experts aim to achieve favorable HIV health outcomes while reducing disease transmission. However, alcohol use is prevalent among young TW and MSM and threatens optimal adherence. In addition, the daily variations in alcohol use and ART adherence and their association with each other are poorly understood, warranting more appropriate methodological approaches, such as analysis of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this analysis is to characterize the association between daily alcohol use and same-day ART nonadherence captured by an EMA study of young MSM and TW living with HIV in San Francisco. METHODS: Young MSM and TW enrolled in the Health eNav digital HIV care navigation intervention were included in the analytic sample (N=113). Data on alcohol and ART use were collected by daily EMA surveys administered via text messaging and were analyzed over 30 days of follow-up. A multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression model adjusting for baseline sociodemographic characteristics was specified to investigate whether daily alcohol use was associated with same-day ART nonuse. RESULTS: Daily alcohol use was associated with higher same-day ART nonuse. On average, participants drank alcohol on 15.20 (SD 8.93) days and used ART on 15.19 (SD 10.16) days out of 30 days. Daily alcohol use was associated with 1.89 (95% CI 1.14-3.15) times the adjusted odds of same-day ART nonuse for each participant. CONCLUSIONS: Results are consistent with other analyses of daily alcohol and ART use and underscore the importance of individually targeted interventions that are sensitive to each participant's dynamic risk environment. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/16406.

Does the Use of Motivational Interviewing Skills Promote Change Talk Among Young People Living With HIV in a Digital HIV Care Navigation Text Messaging Intervention?

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a counseling approach to facilitate behavior change. MI has been widely applied to in-person-delivered, health behavior change interventions; however, mobile health (mHealth) interventions are beginning to adopt and expand the reach of MI in health promotion practice with the use of mobile phones and digital platforms. This study examines whether the use of MI skills (e.g., OARS [open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summaries]) promotes change talk in an SMS text messaging intervention for young people living with HIV in San Francisco. We undertake a novel method of analyzing text message intervention data in order to characterize the microprocesses of change talk. Data were collected via computer-assisted self-interviewing surveys of self-reported sociodemographic information, and two-way text messages facilitated by a digital HIV care navigator during the 6-month intervention. We qualitatively assessed all text messages exchanged for the utilization of four basic MI skills on the part of the interventionist (OARS) and participant change talk. This study found that high levels of all four MI skills-and moderate levels of open-ended questions only-were associated with more change talk compared to low levels. Additionally, using three or more MI skills was associated with change talk. Future research is needed to inform how to analyze large amounts of data passively collected as a native part of implementing mHealth and text messaging applications of MI interventions.

Efficacy and Impact of Digital HIV Care Navigation in Young People Living With HIV in San Francisco, California: Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Young people are disproportionately impacted by HIV infection and exhibit poor HIV care continuum outcomes. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions are promising approaches to meet the unique needs of young people living with HIV. Youth-focused interventions are needed to improve HIV care continuum outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the preliminary efficacy and impact of a digital HIV care navigation intervention among young people living with HIV in San Francisco. Health electronic navigation (eNavigation or eNav) is a 6-month, text message-based, digital HIV care navigation intervention, in which young people living with HIV are connected to their own HIV care navigator through text messaging to improve engagement in HIV primary care. METHODS: This study had a single-arm, prospective, pre-post design. The analysis included 120 young men who have sex with men or transwomen living with HIV aged between 18 and 34 years. We analyzed self-reported sociobehavioral information pre- and postintervention at baseline and 6 months, which was collected using computer-assisted self-interviewing surveys. We characterized the sample and built generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to assess differences in HIV care continuum outcomes at baseline and 6 months. RESULTS: The characteristics according to the intervention completion status were not different from those of the overall sample. The mean age of the participants was 27.75 years (SD 4.07). Most participants (103/120, 85.8%) identified as men, and the sample was racially/ethnically diverse. At baseline, majority (99/120, 82.5%) of the participants had recently received primary HIV care, yet this was more likely in those who completed the intervention than in those who did not (54/60, 90% vs 45/60, 75%; χ21=4.68, P=.03). More than half of the sample reported taking antiretroviral therapy (92/120, 76.7%) and having an undetectable viral load (65/120, 54.2%). The 6-month follow-up surveys were completed by 73.3% (88/120) of participants, and these participants were not characteristically different from the overall sample at baseline. GEE models indicated that participants had increased odds of viral suppression at 6 months as compared with baseline. No relevant additive or multiplicative interactions were noted on comparing outcome effects over time according to intervention completion. CONCLUSIONS: Digital HIV care navigation fills a critical gap in public health and HIV care systems, making these systems more responsive and accountable to the needs of the most vulnerable individuals. Our intervention bridges the time between primary care visits with interactive, tailored, personalized, and peer-delivered social support; information; and motivational interviewing to scaffold behavioral change. This study is part of the next wave of system-informed mHealth intervention research that will offer potentially disruptive solutions to traditional in-person delivered interventions and improve the health of the most vulnerable individuals. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/16406.

Digital HIV Care Navigation for Young People Living With HIV in San Francisco, California: Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

BACKGROUND: HIV continues to be a public health challenge adversely affecting youth and young adults, as they are the fastest-growing group of new HIV infections in the United States and the group with the poorest health outcomes among those living with HIV. HIV prevention science has turned to mobile health as a novel approach to reach and engage young people living with HIV (YPLWH) experiencing barriers to HIV care. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a text message-based HIV care navigation intervention for YPLWH in San Francisco. Health eNavigation is a 6-month text message-based HIV care navigation where YPLWH are connected to their own HIV care navigator through text messaging to improve engagement in HIV primary care. Digital HIV care navigation included delivery of the following through SMS text messaging: (1) HIV care navigation, (2) health promotion and education, (3) motivational interviewing, and (4) social support. METHODS: We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a text message-based HIV care navigation intervention among YPLWH. We assessed feasibility using quantitative data for the overall sample (N=120) to describe participant text messaging activity during the intervention. Acceptability was assessed through semistructured, in-depth interviews with a subsample of 16 participants 12 months after enrollment. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using grounded theory. RESULTS: Overall, the text message-based HIV care navigation intervention was feasible and acceptable. The majority of participants exhibited medium or high levels of engagement (50/120 [41.7%] and 26/120 [21.7%], respectively). Of the majority of participants who were newly diagnosed with HIV, 63% (24/38) had medium to high engagement. Similarly, among those who were not newly diagnosed, 63% (52/82) had medium to high engagement. The majority of participants found that the intervention added value to their lives and improved their engagement in HIV care, medication adherence, and viral suppression. CONCLUSIONS: Text message-based HIV care navigation is a potentially powerful tool that may help bridge the gaps for linkage and retention and improve overall engagement in HIV care for many YPLWH. Our results indicate that participation in text message-based HIV care navigation is both feasible and acceptable across pervasive structural barriers that would otherwise hinder intervention engagement.

Implementing a Digital HIV Care Navigation Intervention (Health eNav): Protocol for a Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Young racial and ethnic minority men who have sex with men (MSM) and trans women are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS in the United States. Unrecognized infection, due to a low uptake of HIV testing, and poor linkage to care are driving forces of ongoing HIV transmission among young racial and ethnic minority MSM and trans women. Internet and mobile technologies, in combination with social network-based approaches, offer great potential to overcome and address barriers to care and effectively disseminate interventions. OBJECTIVE: We describe Health eNavigation (Health eNav), a digital HIV care navigation intervention that extends supportive care structures beyond clinic walls to serve youth and young adults living with HIV who are newly diagnosed, not linked to care, out of care, and not virally suppressed, at times when they need support the most. METHODS: This study leverages ecological momentary assessments for a period of 90 days and uses person-delivered short message service text messages to provide participants with digital HIV care navigation over a 6-month period. We aim to improve engagement, linkage, and retention in HIV care and improve viral suppression. Digital HIV care navigation includes the following components: (1) HIV care navigation, (2) health promotion, (3) motivational interviewing, and (4) digital social support. RESULTS: Recruitment began on November 18, 2016; enrollment closed on May 31, 2018. Intervention delivery ended on November 30, 2018, and follow-up evaluations concluded on October 31, 2019. In this paper, we present baseline sample characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss real-world strategies and challenges in delivering the digital HIV care navigation intervention in a city-level, public health setting. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/16406.

Social Inequity and Structural Barriers to Completion of Ecological Momentary Assessments for Young Men Who Have Sex With Men and Trans Women Living With HIV in San Francisco.

BACKGROUND: Ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) administered via text messaging facilitate real-time data collection. With widespread cell phone access, EMAs are becoming more available to even the most disenfranchised communities, such as those living with HIV. However, structural barriers disproportionately burden young men who have sex with men (MSM) and trans women (TW) living with HIV and threaten participation in HIV research. OBJECTIVE: We aim to identify structural barriers to completing EMA text surveys nested within a digital HIV care intervention for young MSM and TW living with HIV in San Francisco. METHODS: A total of 10,800 EMA text messages were delivered daily over 90 days to 120 participants enrolled in the Health eNav intervention (2017-2018) at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. EMA surveys inquired about participants' daily affect, sexual behaviors, substance use, and treatment adherence. Survey completion was calculated after 30, 60, and 90 days of follow-up. We described characteristics of nonstarters (those who provided less than four complete responses to the first seven EMA surveys) and analyzed structural correlates of days to first weeklong or more EMA survey noncompletion using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Qualitative interviews were used to evaluate the acceptability of EMA surveys. RESULTS: Participants completed 4384 of 10,800 (40.59%) EMA surveys. Completion of 70% or more of EMA surveys was attained by 56 of 120 participants (46.7%) at 30 days of follow-up, 40/120 (33.3%) at 60 days of follow-up, and 30/120 (25.0%) by the end of the 90-day study period. Twenty-eight participants (23.3%) were identified as nonstarters, and were more likely to be recently incarcerated (prevalence ratio [PR] 2.3, 95% CI 1.3-4.4), forego basic needs for HIV medications (PR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.5), and be diagnosed with HIV in the last year (PR 2.2, 95% CI 1.1-4.1). Adjusting for nonstarters, young MSM and TW living in temporary/transitional housing (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.0), foregoing HIV medications to afford basic needs (aHR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.7), and having less than a college education (aHR 3.5, 95% CI 1.4-9.0) had greater hazard of weeklong or more EMA survey noncompletion. Overall, there was high acceptability of the EMA surveys. CONCLUSIONS: Although access to and use of technology is increasingly ubiquitous, this analysis demonstrates persisting gaps in EMA completion by socioeconomic factors such as incarceration, education level, housing, and competing needs for young MSM and TW living with HIV in San Francisco. Moreover, those recently diagnosed with HIV were more likely to experience an immediate drop-off in completing EMA surveys. EMAs are feasible for individuals not experiencing social inequity and structural barriers. HIV prevention technologies addressing these barriers and leveraging similar methodology may prove effective for young MSM and TW living with HIV.