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: Introduction: Secondary distribution of HIV self‐tests (HIVST) by HIV‐negative pregnant women to male partners increases men's testing rates. We examined whether this strategy promotes male partner testing for pregnant women living with HIV (PWLHIV). Methods: We conducted an open‐label individually randomized trial in Kampala, Uganda, in which PWLHIV ≥18 years who reported a partner of unknown HIV status were randomized 2:1 to secondary distribution of HIVST for male partner(s) or standard‐of‐care (SOC; invitation letter to male partner for fast‐track testing). Women were followed until 12 months post‐partum. Male partners were offered confirmatory HIV testing and facilitated linkage to antiretroviral treatment (ART) or oral pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Using intention‐to‐treat analysis, primary outcomes were male partner testing at the clinic and initiation on PrEP or ART evaluated through 12 months post‐partum (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03484533). Results: From November 2018 to March 2020, 500 PWLHIV were enrolled with a median age of 27 years (interquartile range [IQR] 23–30); 332 were randomized to HIVST and 168 to SOC with 437 PWLHIV (87.4%) completing 12 months follow‐up post‐partum. Of 236 male partners who tested at the clinic and enrolled (47.2%), their median age was 31 years (IQR 27–36), 45 (88.3%) men with HIV started ART and 113 (61.1%) HIV‐negative men started PrEP. There was no intervention effect on male partner testing (hazard ratio [HR] 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.79–1.37) or time to ART or PrEP initiation (HR 0.96; 95% CI: 0.69–1.33). Two male partners and two infants acquired HIV for an incidence of 0.99 per 100 person‐years (95% CI: 0.12–3.58) and 1.46 per 100 person‐years (95% CI: 0.18%–5.28%), respectively. Social harms related to study participation were experienced by six women (HIVST = 5, SOC = 1). Conclusions: Almost half of the partners of Ugandan PWLHIV tested for HIV with similar HIV testing rates and linkage to ART or PrEP among the secondary distribution of HIVST and SOC arms. Although half of men became aware of their HIV serostatus and linked to services, additional strategies to reach male partners of women in antenatal care are needed to increase HIV testing and linkage to services among men., INTRODUCTION Pregnant women living with HIV (PWLHIV) are more likely to achieve viral suppression (VS) and complete the prevention of mother‐to‐child HIV transmission (PMTCT) cascade when their partners are tested [...]

: Introduction: Increased HIV testing by men in sub‐Saharan Africa is key to meeting UNAIDS 2025 testing targets. Secondary distribution of HIV self‐testing (HIVST) kits by pregnant women attending antenatal care to male partners has been shown to increase testing among African men. A detailed understanding of how women and male partners manage the distribution and use of HIVST and subsequent linkage to clinic‐based follow‐up can inform implementation and scale‐up efforts. Methods: We use qualitative data from the Obumu Study, a randomized trial of secondary distribution of HIVST by pregnant women living with HIV to male partners in Kampala, Uganda, to unpack the HIVST delivery process. The protocol included a clinic visit by male partners to confirm HIVST results. Individual interviews eliciting data on experiences of delivering and using HIVST and of subsequent linkage to clinic‐based testing were conducted with a purposefully selected sample of 45 women and 45 male partner Obumu Study participants from November 2018 to March 2021. Interview data from 59 participants (29 women and 30 men) in the HIVST arm were analysed through coding and category construction. Results: Women living with HIV were apprehensive about delivering HIVST to their partners, especially if they had not disclosed their HIV status. They invested effort in developing strategies for introducing HIVST. Male partners described a range of responses to receiving the self‐testing kit, especially fear of a positive test result. Women reported leading the self‐testing process, often conducting the test themselves. Most women confidently interpreted HIVST results. However, they tended to defer to healthcare workers rather than report positive results directly to partners. Women told their partners the testing process required a clinic follow‐up visit, often without explaining the visit's purpose. Many partners delayed the visit as a result. Women again responded by strategizing to persuade their partners to link to follow‐up care. Conclusions: Secondary distribution of HIVST by pregnant women living with HIV to male partners can be challenging, especially when women have not disclosed their HIV status. Additional support may alleviate the burden; outreach to male partners may facilitate linkage to confirmatory testing and HIV care or prevention., INTRODUCTION Increasing rates of HIV testing by men in sub‐Saharan Africa is key to meeting the UNAIDS 2025 target calling for 95% of individuals living with HIV to know their [...]

Introduction: Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended during pregnancy for at-risk cisgender women. Pregnancy is known to impede bone growth and tenofovir-based PrEP may also yield detrimental changes to bone health. Thus, we evaluated the effect of PrEP use during pregnancy on bone mineral density (BMD). Methods: We used data from a cohort of women who were sexually active, HIVnegative, ages 16-25 years, initiating DMPA or choosing condoms for contraception and enrolled in the Kampala Women's Bone Study. Women were followed quarterly with rapid testing for HIV and pregnancy, PrEP dispensation, and adherence counseling. Those who became pregnant were counseled on PrEP use during pregnancy per national guidelines. BMD of the neck of the hip, total hip, and lumbar spine was measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at baseline and annually. We compared the mean percent change in BMD from baseline to month 24. Results: Among 499 women enrolled in the study, 105 pregnancies occurred in 90 women. At enrollment, the median age was 20 years (IQR: 19-21) and 89% initiated PrEP. During pregnancy, 67% of women continued using PrEP and PrEP was dispensed in 64% of visits. BMD declined significantly in women using PrEP during pregnancy compared to women who were not pregnant nor used PrEP: relative BMD change was -2.26% (95% CI: -4.63 to 0.11, p=0.06) in the femoral neck, -2.57% (95% CI: -4.48 to -0.66, p = 0.01) in total hip, -3.06% (95% CI: -5.49 to -0.63, p = 0.001) lumbar spine. There was no significant difference in BMD loss when comparing PrEP-exposed pregnant women to pregnant women who never used PrEP. Women who became pregnant were less likely to continue PrEP at subsequent study visits than women who did not become pregnant (adjOR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.16-0.37, p<0.001). Based on pill counts, there was a 62% reduction in the odds of high PrEP adherence during pregnancy (adjOR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.27-0.58, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Women who used PrEP during pregnancy experienced a similar reduction in BMD as pregnant women with no PrEP exposure, indicating that BMD loss in PrEP-using pregnant women is largely driven by pregnancy and not PrEP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a common cause of morbidity globally and can impact adherence to medications, posing challenges to medication-based HIV prevention. The objectives of this work are to describe the frequency of depression symptoms in a cohort of 499 young women in Kampala, Uganda and to determine the association of depression symptoms with use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Mild or greater depression, assessed by the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), was experienced by 34% of participants at enrollment. Participants with mild depression symptoms tended to uptake PrEP, request PrEP refills, and adhere to PrEP with similar frequency to women with no/minimal signs of depression. These findings highlight opportunities to leverage existing HIV prevention programs to identify women who may benefit from mental health services and may not otherwise be screened. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03464266.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: HIV self-testing (HIVST) is a promising strategy to increase awareness of HIV status among sub-Saharan African (SSA) men. Understanding user perspectives on HIVST secondary distribution from pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) to their male partners is crucial to optimizing delivery strategies. Methods: We sampled pregnant women attending ANC without their partners and purposively oversampled pregnant women living with HIV (PWHIV) to understand their unique views. We recruited male partners after obtaining contact information from women. We conducted 14 focus group discussions and 10 in-depth interviews with men and pregnant women. We assessed acceptability of HIVST secondary distribution, barriers, facilitators, and interventions to increase HIVST uptake. Results: Participants felt that HIVST secondary distribution was acceptable, particularly for women in stable relationships. However, many expressed concerns about accusations of mistrust, relationship dissolution, fear of discovering serodifference, and lack of counseling associated with HIVST. PWHIV reported hesitation about secondary distribution, citing fears of unintended HIV status disclosure and abandonment resulting in financial hardship for themselves and their infant. Some participants preferred that providers contact men directly to offer HIVST kits instead of distribution via women. Participants reported that community sensitization, availability of phone-based counseling, male clinic staff, extended clinic hours, and financial incentives could increase men's HIVST use and linkage to care. Conclusion: Participants expressed high interest in using HIVST, but secondary distribution was not universally preferred. We identified potential strategies to increase HIVST acceptability, particularly among PWHIV and those in unstable partnerships which can inform strategies to optimize HIVST distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Secondary distribution of HIV self-test (HIVST) kits from pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) to their male partners is shown to increase HIV couples testing and disclosure, and is being scaled up in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding couples-level barriers and facilitators influencing HIVST uptake is critical to designing strategies to optimise intervention coverage., Design: To investigate these couples-level barriers and facilitiators, we conducted focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Transcripts were analysed thematically and the interdependence model of communal coping and health behaviour change was adapted to explore factors impacting HIVST acceptability., Setting: We recruited pregnant women attending two public ANC clinics in Kampala, Uganda, and male partners of pregnant women between April 2019 and February 2020., Participants: We conducted gender-stratified focus group discussions (N=14) and in-depth interviews (N=10) with pregnant women with and without HIV attending ANC, and male partners of pregnant women (N=122 participants)., Intervention: We evaluated pregnant women's and male partners' perceptions of HIVST secondary distribution in Uganda, leveraging the interdependence model of communal coping and health behaviour change., Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: Key areas of focus included HIVST interest and acceptability, perspectives on HIV status disclosure to partners and gender roles., Results: Participants felt that predisposing factors, including trust, communication, fear of partner and infidelity, would influence women's decisions to deliver HIVST kits to partners, and subsequent communal coping behaviours such as couples HIV testing and disclosure. Pregnancy was described as a critical motivator for men's HIVST uptake, while HIV status of pregnant women was influential in couples' communal coping and health-enhancing behaviours. Generally, participants felt HIV-negative women would be more likely to deliver HIVST, while women with HIV would be more hesitant due to concerns about discovery of serodifference and relationship dissolution. Participants stressed the importance of counsellor availability throughout the process including guidance on how women should approach their partners regarding HIVST and post-test support in case of a positive test., Conclusions: HIV-negative women in relationships with positive predisposing factors may be most likely to deliver HIVST and leverage interdependent coping behaviours. Women with HIV or those in relationships with negative predisposing factors may benefit from targeted counselling and disclosure support before and after HIVST kit distribution. Results can help support policy guidelines for HIVST kit distribution., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)