The Impact of Intersectional Discrimination and Stigma on HIV Care for African, Caribbean, and Black Women Living With HIV During the COVID-19 Pandemic in British Columbia: A Descriptive Study.

ABSTRACT: African, Caribbean, and Black women living with HIV (ACB WWH) in British Columbia experience discrimination on the basis of their race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and HIV status. The various forms of stigma that ACB WWH experience intersect to create a uniquely marginalized experience that has negative consequences for quality of life and overall well-being. Eighteen semistructured interviews were completed with ACB WWH in British Columbia. Interviews were conducted by phone, Zoom, or in-person at the participant's request. Participants consistently reported experiences of various forms of discrimination. There was additional stigmatization due to COVID-19 pandemic that negatively influenced the lives of ACB WWH. Interventions and resources are needed to support ACB WWH in navigating how to work through the multifaceted impacts of intersectional stigmatization. Efforts are needed to identify ways to continue the delivery of resources like social support groups throughout future pandemics.

Teen pregnancy involvement among African, Caribbean and Black adolescent boys and girls: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) adolescents are disproportionately affected by teen pregnancy in North America. Teen pregnancy poses risks to the quality of life of adolescent boys and girls, including physical, psychosocial and socioeconomic risks. Our review aims to explore this public health concern for ACB adolescents within North America. We aim to identify and analyse available evidence on the incidence and prevalence of, associated factors of and interventions to curtail teen pregnancy involvement (TPI) among ACB adolescent boys and girls in North America. This review will explore TPI, rather than teen pregnancy, to ensure a review of men' involvement in teen pregnancy outcomes. METHODS AND ANALYSES: Health literature databases such as CINAHL, OVID (Medline and Embase) and CAB direct. Searches will be conducted for evidence published from 2001 to October 2021. Search results will be exported to Covidence for subsequent steps of the review. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review guidelines will be used to ensure reproducibility and transparency. We will include all study designs focused on ACB boys and girls between 10 and 19 years old, residing in North America. Studies with a mixed racial sample will be included if sample consists of greater than 50% ACB individuals. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: TPI is a public health concern with socioeconomic and health consequences for ACB teens in North America. A scoping review such as this will provide direction for healthcare practice, policy changes, education and further research in reducing the incidence of TPI in North America. Study results will be disseminated via presentations at conferences, at target populations, communities and organisations and publications via peer-reviewed journals. As knowledge generated from this scoping review will stem from previously published evidence, an ethical approval is not needed.

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Influenced HIV Care: Are We Prepared Enough for Future Pandemics? An Assessment of Factors Influencing Access, Utilization, Affordability, and Motivation to Engage with HIV Services amongst African, Caribbean, and Black Women.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in disruption in healthcare delivery for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). African, Caribbean, and Black women living with HIV (ACB WLWH) in British Columbia (BC) faced barriers to engage with HIV care services prior to the COVID-19 pandemic that were intensified by the transition to virtual care during the pandemic. This paper aims to assess which factors influenced ACB WLWH's access to, utilization and affordability of, and motivation to engage with HIV care services. This study utilized a qualitative descriptive approach using in-depth interviews. Eighteen participants were recruited from relevant women's health, HIV, and ACB organizations in BC. Participants felt dismissed by healthcare providers delivering services only in virtual formats and suggested that services be performed in a hybrid model to increase access and utilization. Mental health supports, such as support groups, dissolved during the pandemic and overall utilization decreased for many participants. The affordability of services pertained primarily to expenses not covered by the provincial healthcare plan. Resources should be directed to covering supplements, healthy food, and extended health services. The primary factor decreasing motivation to engage with HIV services was fear, which emerged due to the unknown impact of the COVID-19 virus on immunocompromised participants.