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Background: Globally, there is suboptimal coverage of antiretroviral treatment to treat and prevent HIV. It is crucial for individuals to know their partner's HIV status so they may use all appropriate and available prevention tools. For sexual minority men in South Africa, a population known to face intersecting forms of marginalization including a disparate burden of HIV incidence, there are challenges to status sharing., Objective: We explore perspectives of healthcare workers (HCW) with expertise providing services to sexual minority men to identify strategies to support HIV status sharing., Methods: As part of a larger study designed to improve HIV-related health outcomes for sexual minority men, we conducted one focus group discussion (participant n  = 4) and two in-depth-interviews with HCW. We used thematic analysis to synthesize qualitative themes and identify corresponding implications for interventions., Results: HCW each had 5-23 years of experience. We identified three implementation considerations to support sharing of HIV status: (1) ensuring partner support for sharing status while circumventing risk of personal harms, (2) facilitating concordant couple-based peer support and belonging, and (3) leveraging the strengths of mass media as educational tools., Conclusion: HCW highlighted that sharing that one is living with HIV is a sensitive and potentially dangerous process that can be managed by involving both partners in the process. This process may be supported by incorporating HIV status sharing narratives in popular media.

In South Africa, HIV prevalence for gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (GBMSM) is as high as 49.5%, yet only 25.7% are taking treatment, resulting in transmission risk between partners and the need for dyadic interventions for men in relationships. Through our preliminary research, we identified the evidence-based intervention Healthy Relationships (HR)-an HIV risk assessment and status disclosure intervention for those in relationships-to be tailored into videoconference format for partnered HIV-positive GBMSM in South Africa. The HR adaptation, called SOAR (Speaking Out & Allying Relationships), applied a human-centered design approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with HIV-positive GBMSM ( N = 15) to refine intervention preferences with results used to establish a beta SOAR. A trained interventionist conducted SOAR functionality ( n = 6) and usability ( n = 7) tests with separate invited groups composed of the original participants interviewed. Field logs, focus group discussions, and a study-specific preference survey were administered. Thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were completed with a convergent analytical approach used to understand usability. Overall experience of GBMSM in SOAR was good (69%) or excellent (31%). More than half of the participants (61%) rated using videoconferencing for SOAR as good, with 38% rating it as fair. All participants stated that SOAR was understandable and satisfactory with willingness to recommend it to other GBMSM. This adaptation approach was effective, and the resultant SOAR intervention has the potential to improve individual coping and HIV communication skills with partners to engage with biomedical prevention and in turn support GBMSM couples.

Background: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) living with HIV have low antiretroviral treatment adherence in South Africa due to limited skills in managing disclosure and prevention behaviors with sexual and romantic partners. As a result, there is a high HIV transmission risk within HIV-discordant partnerships, but an existing intervention may address these outcomes, if adapted effectively. Healthy Relationships (HR) is a behavioral intervention that was originally delivered in groups and in person over 5 sessions to develop coping skills for managing HIV-related stress and sexually risky situations, enhance decision-making skills for HIV disclosure to partners, and establish and maintain safer sex practices with partners. HR effectively improves prevention behaviors but has yet to be tailored to a non-US context., Objective: We aim to adapt HR into a new culturally grounded intervention entitled Speaking Out & Allying Relationships for GBMSM and then assess its feasibility in Eastern Cape, South Africa., Methods: The study will have 2 aims. For aim 1-adaptation-we will use a human-centered design approach. Initial intervention tailoring will involve integrating Undetectable=Untransmittable and pre-exposure prophylaxis education, developing intervention content for a videoconference format, and designing role-plays and movies for skill building based on preliminary data. Afterward, interviews and surveys will be administered to GBMSM to assess intervention preferences, and a focus group will be conducted with health care providers and information technology experts to assess the intervention's design. Finally, a usability test will be performed to determine functionality and content understanding. Participants will be GBMSM living with HIV (n=15) who are in a relationship and health care providers and information technology (n=7) experts working in HIV care and programming with this population. For aim 2, we will examine the feasibility of the adapted intervention by using a pilot randomized control design. There will be 60 individuals per arm. Feasibility surveys and interviews will be conducted with the intervention arm, and behavioral and biomedical assessments for relationship and treatment adherence outcomes will be collected for both arms. All participants will be GBMSM living with HIV who are in a relationship with an HIV-negative or unknown status partner., Results: Intervention adaptation began in August 2021. Initial tailoring and the refining of GBMSM intervention preferences were completed in December 2021. Usability and feasibility assessments are due to be completed by March 2022 and February 2024, respectively., Conclusions: GBMSM need efficacious interventions that tackle partnership dynamics, HIV prevention, and treatment outcomes for antiretroviral treatment adherence and viral suppression in South Africa. Harnessing everyday technology use for social networking (eg, videoconferences), Undetectable=Untransmittable education, and pre-exposure prophylaxis to update an existing intervention for South African GBMSM has the potential to strengthen relationship communication about HIV treatment and prevention and, in turn, improve outcomes., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/36845., (©Joseph Daniels, Remco P H Peters, Andrew Medina-Marino, Cikizwa Bongo, Rob Stephenson. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 16.05.2022.)