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2nd Edition of HIV Prevalence and Risk Factors in Populations Experiencing Marginalization

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 2977

Special Issue Editor

Center for Public Health Research, San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Interests: transgender populations; HIV; stigma; discrimination; social epidemiology; mHealth; low- and middle-income country (LMIC) research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

HIV continues to disproportionately impact populations facing marginalization in society. As the U.S. and other countries move steadily toward zero new infections, the epidemiology of HIV reveals that those who remain at high risk of HIV are those who face additional epidemics related to stigma and discrimination. Structures enforced through racism, xenophobia, sexism and transphobia, among others, result in violence and discrimination. In turn, violence and discrimination result in less access to economic and health resources, social isolation, mental distress, substance use, and increased risk of HIV. Meanwhile, the trend in HIV prevention and treatment has moved toward biomedical approaches. Without addressing the underlying inequity at the core of prevention and treatment engagement, efforts to meet global goals for no new infections will be stalled. An overdue and essential next step in HIV research is to examine and intervene upon upstream causes of HIV risk for populations who are marginalized in society. This Special Issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge on the links between marginalization and HIV. New research papers tackling a rigorous examination of this link, using new measures and methods to do so, are welcome to this Issue. Papers examining multi-level interventions that address stigma and discrimination are also welcome. Intervention and social epidemiological papers are requested from low- and middle-income as well as high-income countries. Other accepted manuscript types include methodological papers and commentaries specifying new policy directions for HIV research with populations facing marginalization.

Dr. Erin C. Wilson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • stigma
  • marginalization
  • HIV
  • sexual and gender minority
  • immigrant
  • young people
  • people who use substances
  • poverty
  • racial minority
  • ethnic minority

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 330 KiB  
Article
Determinants of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Retention among Transgender Women: A Sequential, Explanatory Mixed Methods Study
by Jack Andrzejewski, Heather A. Pines, Sheldon Morris, Leah Burke, Robert Bolan, Jae Sevelius, David J. Moore and Jill Blumenthal
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(2), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020133 - 25 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1081
Abstract
Transgender women (TW) face inequities in HIV and unique barriers to PrEP, an effective biomedical intervention to prevent HIV acquisition. To improve PrEP retention among TW, we examined factors related to retention using a two-phase, sequential explanatory mixed methods approach. In Phase I, [...] Read more.
Transgender women (TW) face inequities in HIV and unique barriers to PrEP, an effective biomedical intervention to prevent HIV acquisition. To improve PrEP retention among TW, we examined factors related to retention using a two-phase, sequential explanatory mixed methods approach. In Phase I, we used data from a trial of 170 TW who were provided oral PrEP to examine predictors of 24-week retention. In Phase II, we conducted 15 in-depth interviews with PrEP-experienced TW and used thematic analysis to explain Phase I findings. In Phase I, more participants who were not retained at 24 weeks reported sex work engagement (18% versus 7%) and substantial/severe drug use (18% versus 8%). In Phase II, participants reported drug use as a barrier to PrEP, often in the context of sex work, and we identified two subcategories of sex work. TW engaged in “non-survival sex work” had little difficulty staying on PrEP, while those engaged in “survival sex work” struggled to stay on PrEP. In Phase I, fewer participants not retained at 24 weeks reported gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) use (56% versus 71%). In Phase II, participants prioritized medical gender affirmation services over PrEP but also described the bidirectional benefits of accessing GAHT and PrEP. TW who engaged in “survival sex work” experience barriers to PrEP retention (e.g., unstable housing, drug use) and may require additional support to stay in PrEP care. Full article
12 pages, 635 KiB  
Article
Changes in and Predictors of HIV among People Who Inject Drugs in Mizoram, Northeast India, from 2007 to 2021
by Lucy Ngaihbanglovi Pachuau, Caterina Tannous, Richard Lalramhluna Chawngthu and Kingsley Emwinyore Agho
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(10), 5871; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20105871 - 19 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1600
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the changes in and predictors of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Mizoram, Northeast India, over a period of 15 years (2007–2021). A sample of 14783 PWID was extracted from the Targeted [...] Read more.
This study aimed to examine the changes in and predictors of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Mizoram, Northeast India, over a period of 15 years (2007–2021). A sample of 14783 PWID was extracted from the Targeted Intervention (TI) services under the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS). A chi-square test was used to compare the differences in HIV prevalence across the three 5-year periods, and a multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors after adjusting for sociodemographic, injecting and sexual behaviours. The results showed that compared to 2007–2011, HIV prevalence was almost three times higher in 2012–2016 (AOR 2.35; 95% CI 2.07–2.66) and almost two times higher in 2017–2021 (AOR 1.41; 95% CI 1.24–1.59). The results suggest that participants who were females (AOR 2.35; 95% CI 2.07–2.66), married (AOR 1.13; 95% CI 1.00–1.27), separated/divorced/widowed (AOR 1.74; 95% CI 1.54–1.96), of middle school level education (AOR 1.24; 95% CI 1.06–1.44), sharing needles/syringes (AOR 1.78; 95% CI 1.61–1.98) and receiving a regular monthly income were positively associated with HIV infection. Condom use with a regular partner (AOR 0.77; 95% CI 0.70–0.85) was high among PWID. Despite targeted interventions under MSACS to reduce HIV in Mizoram, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among PWID remained high between 2007 and 2021. Policymakers and stakeholders should tailor future interventions based on the factors identified in this study that are associated with HIV infection. Our findings highlight the importance of socio-cultural factors in HIV epidemiology among PWID in Mizoram. Full article
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