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Background: Discussion of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among sex partners facilitates risk reduction. We evaluated HIV/STI-related communications, including broad assessment of any self-reported discussion of the topic and specific discussion of each partner's HIV status, among a historically marginalized and presently criminalized community of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in Nigeria., Methods: From 2013 to 2018, we enrolled SGM aged 18+ years in Lagos or 16+ years in Abuja who reported anal sex with men. At enrollment and 3-, 9-, and 15-month follow-up visits, participants were asked about their sexual behaviors and communications with main sexual partners (MSP) and casual sexual partners (CSP). Questions included "have you talked with your [MSP/CSP] about sexually transmitted infections and HIV?" Multivariable robust Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations was used to estimate adjusted relative risks (aRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for factors potentially associated with HIV/STI-related communications with some or all of each type of sexual partner., Results: Among 2795 SGM enrolled with median age 23 years (interquartile range 20-27), questions about HIV/STI-related communications with MSP were answered by 2436 (87.2%) and with CSP by 2398 (85.9%) SGM. Communication with MSP was reported by 68.1% (1659/2436), of whom 897 (54.1%) discussed their own HIV status and 925 (55.8%) discussed their partner's status. Communication with CSP was reported by 43.9% (1052/2398), of whom 389 (37.0%) discussed their own HIV status and 385 (36.6%) discussed their partner's status. Among participants with both MSP and CSP, HIV/STI-related communication with MSP was more common among participants with higher than secondary education [aRR 1.40 (95% CI: 1.24 to 1.58)], who were divorced/separated/widowed [aRR 1.19 (95% CI: 1.06 to 1.33)], who discussed their HIV status with CSP [aRR 1.18 (95% CI: 1.10 to 1.25)], discussed CSP's HIV status [aRR 1.20 (95% CI: 1.13 to 1.27)], and used a condom at last sex with CSP [aRR 1.16 (95% CI: 1.08 to 1.25)]. HIV/STI-related communication with CSP was more common among participants with higher than secondary education [aRR 1.36 (95% CI: 1.12 to 1.66)], who were divorced/separated/widowed [aRR 1.38 (95% CI: 1.13 to 1.69)], who discussed their HIV status with MSP [aRR 1.47 (95% CI: 1.27 to 1.69)], who discussed CSP's HIV status [aRR 1.22 (95% CI: 1.06 to 1.40)], and used a condom at last sex with CSP [aRR 1.22 (95% CI: 1.08 to 1.38)]., Conclusions: HIV/STI-related communications with main and casual sex partners were both associated with safer sex with CSP. HIV prevention and treatment programs for SGM should promote open communications in sexual relationships and consider deployment of modern strategies to facilitate disclosure, especially in settings with criminalizing legislation., Competing Interests: The authors have no additional funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Written work prepared by employees of the Federal Government as part of their official duties is, under the U.S. Copyright Act, a “work of the United States Government” for which copyright protection under Title 17 of the United States Code is not available. As such, copyright does not extend to the contributions of employees of the Federal Government.)

Introduction: Young men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) face stigmas that hinder access to healthcare. The aim of the study was to understand age-related determinants of healthcare needs and engagement among MSM and TGW., Methods: The TRUST/RV368 cohort provides integrated prevention and treatment services for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) tailored to the needs of sexual and gender minorities. MSM and TGW aged ≥16 years in Abuja and ≥18 years Lagos, Nigeria, completed standardized behavioural questionnaires and were tested for HIV, Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) every three months for up to 18 months. Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for associations of age and other factors with outcomes of interest upon enrolment, including HIV care continuum steps - HIV testing, ART initiation and viral suppression <1000 copies/mL. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for associations with incident infections., Results: Between March 2013 and February 2019, 2123 participants were enrolled with median age 23 (interquartile range 21 to 27) years. Of 1745 tested, 865 (49.6%) were living with HIV. HIV incidence was 11.6/100 person-years [PY], including 23.1/100PY (95% CI 15.5 to 33.1) among participants aged 16 to 19 years and 23.8/100 PY (95% CI 13.6 to 39.1) among TGW. Compared to participants aged ≥25 years, those aged 16 to 19 years had decreased odds of prior HIV testing (aOR 0.40 [95% CI 0.11 to 0.92]), disclosing same-sex sexual practices to healthcare workers (aOR 0.53 [95% CI 0.36 to 0.77]) and receiving HIV prevention information (aOR 0.60 [95% CI 0.41 to 0.87]). They had increased odds of avoiding healthcare (aOR 1.94 [95% CI 1.3 to 2.83]) and engaging in transactional sex (aOR 2.76 [95% CI 1.92 to 3.71]). Age 16 to 19 years was independently associated with increased incidence of HIV (aHR 4.09 [95% CI 2.33 to 7.49]), NG (aHR 3.91 [95% CI 1.90 to 8.11]) and CT (aHR 2.74 [95% CI 1.48 to 5.81])., Conclusions: Young MSM and TGW demonstrated decreased healthcare engagement and higher incidence of HIV and other STIs as compared to older participants in this Nigerian cohort. Interventions to address unique obstacles to healthcare engagement by adolescents and young adults are needed to curb the spread of HIV and other STIs among MSM and TGW in Nigeria., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of the International AIDS Society published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International AIDS Society.)