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BackgroundAscertaining preferences for SARS-CoV-2 testing and incorporating findings into the design and implementation of strategies for delivering testing services may enhance testing uptake and engagement, a prerequisite to reducing onward transmission. ObjectiveThis study aims to determine important drivers of decisions to obtain a SARS-CoV-2 test in the context of increasing community transmission. MethodsWe used a discrete choice experiment to assess preferences for SARS-CoV-2 test type, specimen type, testing venue, and results turnaround time. Participants (n=4793) from the US national longitudinal Communities, Households and SARS-CoV-2 Epidemiology (CHASING) COVID Cohort Study completed our online survey from July 30 to September 8, 2020. We estimated the relative importance of testing method attributes and part-worth utilities of attribute levels, and simulated the uptake of an optimized testing scenario relative to the current typical testing scenario of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) via nasopharyngeal swab in a provider’s office or urgent care clinic with results in >5 days. ResultsTest result turnaround time had the highest relative importance (30.4%), followed by test type (28.3%), specimen type (26.2%), and venue (15.0%). In simulations, immediate or same-day test results, both PCR and serology, or oral specimens substantially increased testing uptake over the current typical testing option. Simulated uptake of a hypothetical testing scenario of PCR and serology via a saliva sample at a pharmacy with same-day results was 97.7%, compared to 0.6% for the current typical testing scenario, with 1.8% opting for no test. ConclusionsTesting strategies that offer both PCR and serology with noninvasive methods and rapid turnaround time would likely have the most uptake and engagement among residents in communities with increasing community transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

: Introduction: Community‐based cohort studies of HIV seroconversion can identify important avenues for enhancing HIV prevention efforts in the era of pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Within individuals, one can assess exposure and outcome variables repeatedly and with increased certainty regarding temporal ordering. This cohort study examined the association of several risk factors with subsequent HIV seroconversion. Methods: We report data from a 4‐year study (2017−2022) of 6059 HIV seronegative sexual and gender minority individuals who have sex with men who had indications for‐, but were not using‐, PrEP at enrolment. Participants completed repeat exposure assessments and self‐collection of biospecimens for HIV testing. We examined the roles of race and ethnicity, socio‐economic status, methamphetamine use and PrEP uptake over the course of follow‐up in relation to HIV seroconversion. Results: Over 4 years, 303 of the participants seroconverted across 18,421 person‐years (incidence rate = 1.64 [95% CI: 1.59−1.70] per 100 person‐years). In multivariable discrete‐time survival analysis, factors independently associated with elevated HIV seroconversion risk included being Black/African American (adjusted risk ratio [aRR]: 2.44, 1.79−3.28), Hispanic/Latinx (1.53, 1.19−1.96), housing instability (1.58, 1.22−2.05) and past year methamphetamine use (3.82, 2.74−5.33). Conversely, time since study enrolment (24 vs. 12 months, 0.67, 0.51−0.87; 36 months, 0.60, 0.45−0.80; 48 months, 0.48, 0.35−0.66) and higher education (master's degree or higher vs. less than or equal to high school, 0.36, 0.17−0.66) were associated with reduced seroconversion risk. Compared to non‐PrEP users in the past 2 years without a current clinical indication, those who started PrEP but then discontinued had higher seroconversion risk, irrespective of clinical indication (3.23, 1.74−6.46) or lack thereof (4.30, 1.85−9.88). However, those who initiated PrEP in the past year (0.14, 0.04−0.39) or persistently used PrEP in the past 2 years (0.33, 0.14−0.74) had a lower risk of seroconversion. Of all HIV seroconversions observed during follow‐up assessments (12, 24, 36 and 48 months), methamphetamine was reported in the 12 months prior 128 (42.2%) times (overall). Conclusions: Interventions that acknowledge race and ethnicity, economic variables such as education and housing instability, and methamphetamine use are critically needed. Not only are interventions to engage individuals in PrEP care needed, but those that retain them, and re‐engage those who may fall out of care are essential, given the exceptionally high risk of seroconversion in these groups., INTRODUCTION Sexual minority individuals represent 2−5% of the United States, yet account for more than two‐thirds of new HIV acquisitions [1−4]. Meanwhile, gender minority individuals (transgender [trans] men and trans [...]

Background While national adoption of universal HIV treatment guidelines has led to improved, timely uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART), longer-term care outcomes are understudied. There is little data from real-world service delivery settings on patient attrition, viral load (VL) monitoring, and viral suppression (VS) at 24 and 36 months after HIV treatment initiation. Methods and findings For this retrospective cohort analysis, we used observational data from 25 countries in the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium's Asia-Pacific, Central Africa, East Africa, Central/South America, and North America regions for patients who were ART naïve and aged [greater than or equal to]15 years at care enrollment between 24 months before and 12 months after national adoption of universal treatment guidelines, occurring 2012 to 2018. We estimated crude cumulative incidence of loss-to-clinic (CI-LTC) at 12, 24, and 36 months after enrollment among patients enrolling in care before and after guideline adoption using competing risks regression. Guideline change-associated hazard ratios of LTC at each time point after enrollment were estimated via cause-specific Cox proportional hazards regression models. Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate relative risks of retention, VL monitoring, and VS at 12, 24, and 36 months after ART initiation. There were 66,963 patients enrolling in HIV care at 109 clinics with [greater than or equal to]12 months of follow-up time after enrollment (46,484 [69.4%] enrolling before guideline adoption and 20,479 [30.6%] enrolling afterwards). More than half (54.9%) were females, and median age was 34 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 27 to 43). Mean follow-up time was 51 months (standard deviation: 17 months; range: 12, 110 months). Among patients enrolling before guideline adoption, crude CI-LTC was 23.8% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 23.4, 24.2) at 12 months, 31.0% (95% CI [30.6, 31.5]) at 24 months, and 37.2% (95% [CI 36.8, 37.7]) at 36 months after enrollment. Adjusting for sex, age group, enrollment CD4, clinic location and type, and country income level, enrolling in care and initiating ART after guideline adoption was associated with increased hazard of LTC at 12 months (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.25 [95% CI 1.08, 1.44]; p = 0.003); 24 months (aHR 1.38 [95% CI 1.19, 1.59]; p < .001); and 36 months (aHR 1.34 [95% CI 1.18, 1.53], p < .001) compared with enrollment before guideline adoption, with no before-after differences among patients with no record of ART initiation by end of follow-up. Among patients retained after ART initiation, VL monitoring was low, with marginal improvements associated with guideline adoption only at 12 months after ART initiation. Among those with VL monitoring, VS was high at each time point among patients enrolling before guideline adoption (86.0% to 88.8%) and afterwards (86.2% to 90.3%), with no substantive difference associated with guideline adoption. Study limitations include lags in and potential underascertainment of care outcomes in real-world service delivery data and potential lack of generalizability beyond IeDEA sites and regions included in this analysis. Conclusions In this study, adoption of universal HIV treatment guidelines was associated with lower retention after ART initiation out to 36 months of follow-up, with little change in VL monitoring or VS among retained patients. Monitoring long-term HIV care outcomes remains critical to identify and address causes of attrition and gaps in HIV care quality., Author(s): Ellen Brazier 1,2,*, Olga Tymejczyk 1, Kara Wools-Kaloustian 3, Awachana Jiamsakul 4, Marco Tulio Luque Torres 5, Jennifer S. Lee 6, Lisa Abuogi 7, Vohith Khol 8, Fernando Mejía [...]

Late presentation for care is a major impediment to the prevention and effective treatment of HIV infection. Older individuals are at increased risk of late presentation, represent a growing proportion of people with late presentation, and might require interventions tailored to their age group. We provide a summary of the literature published globally between 2016-21 (reporting data from 1984-2018) and quantify the association of age with delayed presentation. Using the most common definitions of late presentation and older age from these earlier studies, we update this work with data from the International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium, focusing on data from 2000-19, encompassing four continents. Finally, we consider how late presentation among older individuals might be more effectively addressed as electronic medical records become widely adopted.

Researchers have identified underlying medical conditions, comorbidities, older age, and male sex as biologic vulnerabilities for more severe COVID-19 outcomes (1,2). Evidence also suggests a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 infection, [...]

The rapid pace of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19) pandemic presents challenges to the real-time collection of population-scale data to inform near-term public health needs as well as future investigations. We established the COronavirus Pandemic Epidemiology (COPE) consortium to address this unprecedented crisis on behalf of the epidemiology research community. As a central component of this initiative, we have developed a COVID Symptom Study (previously known as the COVID Symptom Tracker) mobile application as a common data collection tool for epidemiologic cohort studies with active study participants. This mobile application collects information on risk factors, daily symptoms, and outcomes through a user-friendly interface that minimizes participant burden. Combined with our efforts within the general population, data collected from nearly 3 million participants in the United States and United Kingdom are being used to address critical needs in the emergency response, including identifying potential hot spots of disease and clinically actionable risk factors. The linkage of symptom data collected in the app with information and biospecimens already collected in epidemiology cohorts will position us to address key questions related to diet, lifestyle, environmental, and socioeconomic factors on susceptibility to COVID-19, clinical outcomes related to infection, and long-term physical, mental health, and financial sequalae. We call upon additional epidemiology cohorts to join this collective effort to strengthen our impact on the current health crisis and generate a new model for a collaborative and nimble research infrastructure that will lead to more rapid translation of our work for the betterment of public health.

Food insufficiency is associated with suboptimal HIV treatment outcomes. Less is known about psychosocial correlates of food insufficiency among PLWH. This sample includes 1176 adults initiating antiretroviral therapy at HIV clinics in Ethiopia. Logistic regression modeled the association of psychological distress, social support, and HIV-related stigma with food insufficiency. Among respondents, 21.4% reported frequent food insufficiency. Psychological distress [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.61 (95% CI 1.79, 3.82)], low social support [aOR 2.20 (95% CI 1.57, 3.09)] and enacted stigma [aOR 1.69 (95% CI 1.26, 2.25)] were independently associated with food insufficiency. Food insufficiency interventions should address its accompanying psychosocial context.

: Introduction: Common mental disorders (CMDs) are highly prevalent among people with HIV. Integrating mental healthcare into HIV care may improve mental health and HIV treatment outcomes. We describe the reported availability of screening and treatment for depression, anxiety and post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at global HIV treatment centres participating in the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) Consortium in 2020 and changes in availability at sites in low‐ or middle‐income countries (LMICs) between 2016/2017 and 2020. Methods: In 2020, 238 sites contributing individual‐level data to the IeDEA Consortium and in 2016/2017 a stratified random sample of IeDEA sites in LMICs were eligible to participate in site surveys on the availability of screening and treatment for CMDs. We assessed trends over time for 68 sites across 27 LMICs that participated in both surveys. Results: Among the 238 sites eligible to participate in the 2020 site survey, 227 (95%) participated, and mental health screening and treatment data were available for 223 (98%) sites across 41 countries. A total of 95 sites across 29 LMICs completed the 2016/2017 survey. In 2020, 68% of sites were in urban settings, and 77% were in LMICs. Overall, 50%, 14% and 12% of sites reported screening with a validated instrument for depression, anxiety and PTSD, respectively. Screening plus treatment in the form of counselling was available for depression, anxiety and PTSD at 46%, 13% and 11% of sites, respectively. Screening plus treatment in the form of medication was available for depression, anxiety and PTSD at 36%, 11% and 8% of sites, respectively. Among sites that participated in both surveys, screening for depression was more commonly available in 2020 than 2016/2017 (75% vs. 59%, respectively, p = 0.048). Conclusions: Reported availability of screening for depression increased among this group of IeDEA sites in LMICs between 2016/2017 and 2020. However, substantial gaps persist in the availability of mental healthcare at HIV treatment sites across global settings, particularly in resource‐constrained settings. Implementation of sustainable strategies to integrate mental health services into HIV care is needed., INTRODUCTION Common mental disorders (CMDs), including depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are highly prevalent among people with HIV (PWH) globally, including in low‐ and middle‐income countries [...]

: Introduction: The PROMISE study, launched in 2018, evaluates the implementation of revisions to the HIV Care Coordination Program (CCP) designed to minimize persistent disparities in HIV outcomes among high‐need persons living with HIV in New York City. We conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) assessing the preferences of CCP clients to inform improvements to the program's design. Methods: Clients chose between two hypothetical CCP options that varied across four program attributes: help with antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence (directly observed therapy [DOT] vs. remind via phone/text vs. adherence assessment), help with primary care appointments (remind and accompany vs. remind and transport vs. remind only), help with issues other than primary care (coverage and benefits vs. housing and food vs. mental health vs. specialty medical care) and visit location (meet at home vs. via phone/video vs. program visit 30 or 60 minutes away). The latent class analysis identified different preference patterns. A choice simulation was performed to model client preferences for hypothetical CCPs as a whole. Results: One hundred and eighty‐one CCP clients from six sites implementing the revised CCP completed the DCE January 2020–March 2021. Most clients had stable housing (68.5%), reported no problem substance use in the last 3 months (72.4%) and achieved viral suppression (78.5) with only 26.5% receiving DOT within a CCP. 77.3% of responses were obtained before the COVID‐19 pandemic. Preferences clustered into three groups. Visit location and ART adherence support were the most important attributes. Group 1 (40%) endorsed telehealth for visit location; telehealth for ART adherence support; and help with securing housing/food; Group 2 (37%) endorsed telehealth for visit location; telehealth for ART adherence support; and staff reminding/arranging appointment transportation; Group 3 (23%) endorsed staff meeting clients at program location and staff working with clients for medication adherence. In the choice simulation, Basic and Medium hypothetical CCPs were endorsed more than Intensive CCPs. Conclusions: This DCE revealed a strong preference for telehealth and a relatively low preference for intensive services, such as DOT and home visits; preferences were heterogeneous. The findings support differentiated care and remote service delivery options in the NYC CCP, and can inform improvements to CCP design., INTRODUCTION Persistent inequities across the HIV care continuum threaten the United States’ progress towards ending the HIV epidemic [1]. In New York City, rates of viral load suppression (VS) are [...]

Introduction: Questions about the implementation of evidence-based intervention to treat and prevent HIV have risen to the top of the field's scientific priorities. Despite the availability of highly efficacious treatment and prevention interventions, impact has fallen short of targets because these interventions are used with insufficient reach, consistency, sustainability and equity in diverse real-world settings. At present, substantial excitement for implementation science--defined as research methods and strategies to improve use of evidence-based interventions--has focused on developing and disseminating methods to conduct rigorous research. Yet, impactful answers depend on a sometimes less visible, but even more important, step: asking good questions about implementation. Discussion: In this commentary, we offer several considerations for researchers formulating implementation research questions based on several distinctive features of the field. First, as findings are used not only by other researchers but by implementers, scientific questions must incorporate a range of stakeholder and community perspectives to be most relevant. Second, real-world settings are contextually diverse, and the most relevant scientific questions must position answers to make sense within these contexts (whether geographical, organizational and sociological), rather than apart from them. Third, implementation is complex and dynamic; consequently, research questions must make use of emerging standards in describing implementation strategies and their effects whenever possible. Finally, the field of implementation science continues to evolve, so framing problems with a diverse disciplinary lens will enable researchers to pose insightful and impactful questions. Conclusions: We are now at a juncture marked by both rich evidence-based interventions and a persistent global pandemic. To achieve continued scientific progress against the HIV epidemic, asking the right questions might be part of the answer itself. Keywords: effectiveness research; HIV; implementation science; implementation strategies; public health; research questions, 1 | INTRODUCTION To be impactful, findings from implementation science to address the HIV pandemic must not only be rigorous, like any scientific claim, but also applicable to and relevant [...]

We examined correlates of late and delayed initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in British Columbia, Canada. From December 2013 to December 2015 we recruited treatment-naïve people living with HIV who initiated ART within the previous year. 'Late initiation' was defined as CD4 cell count ≤500 cells/µL at ART initiation and 'delayed initiation' as ≥1 year between HIV diagnosis and initiation. Multivariable logistic regression assessed independent correlates of late and delayed initiation. Of 87 participants, 44 (51%) initiated late and 22 (26%) delayed initiation. Delayed initiation was positively associated with older age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.06 per year, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.01-1.12) and inversely associated with wanting to start ART at diagnosis (AOR: 0.06, 95% CI: 0.02-0.21). Variables associated with late initiation were older age (AOR: 1.09 per year, 95% CI: 1.03-1.15) and medical reason(s) for initiation (AOR: 5.00, 95% CI: 1.41-17.86). Late initiation was less likely among those with greater perceived ART efficacy (AOR 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.98) and history of incarceration (AOR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.03-0.56). Disparities in timing of initiation were observed for age, perceived ART efficacy, and history of incarceration. Enhanced health services that address these factors may facilitate earlier treatment initiation.