The EMERALD (Enabling Mobilization, Empowerment, Risk Reduction, and Lasting Dignity) Study: Protocol for the Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Community-Based Combination HIV Prevention Intervention for Female Sex Workers in Baltimore, Maryland.

BACKGROUND: Cisgender female sex workers (FSWs) experience high rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including chlamydia and gonorrhea. Community empowerment-based responses to the risk environment of FSWs have been associated with significant reductions in HIV and STI risk and associated risk behaviors; however, evaluations of US-based interventions targeting FSWs are limited. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to describe the design, implementation, and planned evaluation strategy of an ongoing comprehensive community-level intervention in Baltimore City, Maryland, which aims to improve HIV and STI risk and cumulative incidence among FSWs. The two intervention components are the SPARC (Sex Workers Promoting Action, Risk Reduction, and Community Mobilization) drop-in center and the accompanying comprehensive mobile outreach program. The mission of SPARC is to provide low-barrier harm reduction services to FSWs, with a special focus on women who sell sex and use drugs. Services are provided through a harm reduction framework and include reproductive health and sexual health care; medication-assisted treatment; legal aid; counseling; showers, lockers, and laundry; and the distribution of harm reduction tools, including naloxone and sterile drug use supplies (eg, cookers, cotton, syringes, and pipes). METHODS: The SPARC intervention is being evaluated through the EMERALD (Enabling Mobilization, Empowerment, Risk Reduction, and Lasting Dignity) study, which consists of a prospective 2-group comparative nonrandomized trial (n=385), a cross-sectional survey (n=100), and in-depth interviews assessing SPARC implementation (n=45). Participants enrolled in the nonrandomized trial completed a survey and HIV and STI testing at 4 intervals (baseline and 6, 12, and 18 months). Participants recruited from predefined areas closest to SPARC comprised the intervention group, and participants from all other areas of Baltimore were included in the control group. RESULTS: We hypothesize that addressing structural drivers and more immediate medical needs, in combination with peer outreach, will improve the HIV and STI risk environment, leading to community empowerment, and reduce the HIV and STI cumulative incidence and behavioral risks of FSWs. Data collection is ongoing. A baseline description of the cohort is presented. CONCLUSIONS: In the United States, structural interventions aimed at reducing HIV and STIs among FSWs are scarce; to our knowledge, this is the first intervention of its kind in the United States. The results of the EMERALD study can be used to inform the development of future interventions targeting FSWs and other at-risk populations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04413591; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04413591. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/23412.

Barriers and facilitators to retaining a cohort of street-based cisgender female sex workers recruited in Baltimore, Maryland, USA: results from the SAPPHIRE study.

BACKGROUND: Despite experiencing HIV/STIs, violence, and other morbidities at higher rates than the general public, street-based female sex workers are often absent from public health research and surveillance due to the difficulty and high costs associated with engagement and retention. The current study builds on existing literature by examining barriers and facilitators of retaining a street-based cohort of cisgender female sex workers recruited in a mobile setting in Baltimore, Maryland who participated in the SAPPHIRE study. Participants completed interviews and sexual health testing at baseline, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months. METHODS: Retention strategies are described and discussed in light of their benefits and challenges. Strategies included collecting several forms of participant contact information, maintaining an extensive field presence by data collectors, conducting social media outreach and public record searches, and providing cash and non-cash incentives. We also calculated raw and adjusted retention proportions at each follow-up period. Lastly, baseline sample characteristics were compared by number of completed visits across demographic, structural vulnerabilities, work environment, and substance use variables using F-tests and Pearson's chi-square tests. RESULTS: Although there were drawbacks to each retention strategy, each method was useful in tandem in achieving a successful follow-up rate. While direct forms of contact such as phone calls, social media outreach, and email were useful for retaining more stable participants, less stable participants required extensive field-based efforts such as home and site visits that increase the likelihood of random encounters. Overall, adjusted retention exceeded 70% for the duration of the 12-month study. Participants who were younger, recently experienced homelessness, and injected drugs daily were less likely to have completed all or most follow-up visits. CONCLUSION: Retention of street-based female sex workers required the simultaneous use of diverse retention strategies that were tailored to participant characteristics. With familiarity of the dynamic nature of the study population characteristics, resources can be appropriately allocated to strategies most likely to result in successful retention.

Treatment Preferences for Active Surveillance versus Active Treatment among Men with Low-Risk Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Due to the concerns about the overtreatment of low-risk prostate cancer, active surveillance (AS) is now a recommended alternative to the active treatments (AT) of surgery and radiotherapy. However, AS is not widely utilized, partially due to psychological and decision-making factors associated with treatment preferences. METHODS: In a longitudinal cohort study, we conducted pretreatment telephone interviews (N = 1,140, 69.3% participation) with newly diagnosed, low-risk prostate cancer patients (PSA ≤ 10, Gleason ≤ 6) from Kaiser Permanente Northern California. We assessed psychological and decision-making variables, and treatment preference [AS, AT, and No Preference (NP)]. RESULTS: Men were 61.5 (SD, 7.3) years old, 24 days (median) after diagnosis, and 81.1% white. Treatment preferences were: 39.3% AS, 30.9% AT, and 29.7% NP. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that men preferring AS (vs. AT) were older (OR, 1.64; CI, 1.07-2.51), more educated (OR, 2.05; CI, 1.12-3.74), had greater prostate cancer knowledge (OR, 1.77; CI, 1.43-2.18) and greater awareness of having low-risk cancer (OR, 3.97; CI, 1.96-8.06), but also were less certain about their treatment preference (OR, 0.57; CI, 0.41-0.8), had greater prostate cancer anxiety (OR, 1.22; CI, 1.003-1.48), and preferred a shared treatment decision (OR, 2.34; CI, 1.37-3.99). Similarly, men preferring NP (vs. AT) were less certain about treatment preference, preferred a shared decision, and had greater knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Although a substantial proportion of men preferred AS, this was associated with anxiety and uncertainty, suggesting that this may be a difficult choice. IMPACT: Increasing the appropriate use of AS for low-risk prostate cancer will require additional reassurance and information, and reaching men almost immediately after diagnosis while the decision-making is ongoing. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(8); 1240-50. ©2016 AACR.

Incorporating a Smoking Cessation Intervention into Lung Cancer Screening Programs: Preliminary Studies.

Two preliminary studies assessed whether telephone counseling (TC) is a feasible smoking cessation intervention following lung cancer screening. Seven older smokers undergoing lung cancer screening (pack years = 61.5) completed three TC sessions, which incorporated the screening result as motivation to quit. Participation (87.5%) and retention (85.7%) rates were good, and four smokers quit smoking (three of whom received abnormal results). We conducted four focus groups with 16 current and former older smokers (pack years = 55). Most believed that an abnormal scan would motivate them to quit and expressed interest in TC. TC may be feasible and potentially efficacious within lung screening programs.

Baseline Attitudes About Prostate Cancer Screening Moderate the Impact of Decision Aids on Screening Rates.

BACKGROUND: The impact of decision aids on prostate cancer screening outcomes has been inconsistent. PURPOSE: We assessed whether pre-existing attitudes moderated the impact of decision aids on screening. METHODS: Men aged 45-70 (56.2% Caucasian, 39.9% African-American) were randomly assigned to a print decision aid (N = 630), a web decision aid (N = 631), or usual care (N = 632). Telephone interviews assessed pro/con screening attitudes and screening behaviors at baseline, 1-month and 13-months post-randomization. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses revealed significant arm by attitude interactions: Higher baseline cons scores predicted lower screening in the print (OR = 0.60 (95% CI: 0.40, 0.92)) and web (OR = 0.61 (95% CI: 0.40, 0.91)) arms but not in usual care (OR = 1.34 (95% CI: 0.90, 2.00)). CONCLUSIONS: The decision aids amplified the impact of men's baseline attitudes about limitations of screening: Compared to the usual care arm, men in both decision aid arms were less likely to be screened when they perceived more limitations of screening.