Variation in Sexual Behaviors in a Cohort of Adolescent Females: The Role of Personal, Perceived Peer, and Perceived Family Attitudes

Little is known about how adolescent sexual behaviors develop and the influence of personal or perceived social attitudes. We sought to describe how personal, perceived peer and perceived family attitudes towards adolescent sexual activity influences adolescent females’ sexual behaviors over time

Experience of Forced Sex and Subsequent Sexual, Drug, and Mental Health Outcomes: African American and Hispanic Women in the Southeastern United States

This cross-sectional study examined African American and Hispanic women’s (N = 1,509) self-reports of unwanted forced sex and its association with behavioral and mental health outcomes after the event

Midlife body mass index, central adiposity and neuropsychological performance over 10 years in women living with and without HIV

Background and objective Observations of overweight and obesity in association with neuropsychological performance (NP) vary over the adult life course depending on baseline levels, biological sex, age, race, temporality of measurements, and other factors. Therefore, similar published analyses across cohorts are inconsistent. In our sample of women living with HIV (WLWH) and women without HIV (WWOH), we conducted comparable analyses as those published in men with and without HIV. We examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) and NP. Methods Four hundred thirty two 432 virologically-suppressed WLWH and 367 WWOH, ≥40 years in the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) with anthropometry and NP assessments every two years from 2009-2019 were included in the study. Demographically-adjusted T-scores were calculated for six NP domains: learning, memory, executive function, processing speed, attention and working memory, and motor function. Multivariable linear regression models stratified by HIV status were used to examine cross-sectional associations of BMI and WC by NP domain; repeated measures analyses assessed baseline BMI and WC in association with longitudinal change in NP. Covariates included sociodemographic, behavioral, and HIV-related characteristics. Results At baseline among all women, the median age was 45 years, 65% were Non-Latinx Black women, and 45% were obese women. Obese WLWH (BMI≥30.0 kg/m 2 ) had poorer executive function (β=-2.27, 95%CI [-4.46, -0.07]) versus WLWH with healthy BMI (18.5–24.9 kg/m 2 ). Longitudinally over ~8 years, obese versus overweight WWOH improved on memory (β=2.19, 95%CI [0.13, 4.26]), however overweight versus healthy WWOH experienced declining memory (β= -2.67, 95%CI [-5.40, -0.07]). Increasing WC was associated with declining executive, processing speed, and motor function (p’s<0.05); an at-risk WC was associated with improved memory (β=1.81, 95%CI [0.19, 3.44]) among WWOH. Among WLWH, increasing BMI was associated with improved learning (β=0.07, 95%CI [0.00, 0.15]. Conclusion Our cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses evaluating the associations of BMI and WC and NP were mixed compared to previous reports. This illustrates the importance of sociodemographic characteristics, baseline levels of exposures and outcomes, HIV status, temporality of measurements, and other factors when evaluating aging HIV epidemiology study results

COVID-19 symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 infection among people living with HIV in the US: the MACS/WIHS combined cohort study

Background SARS-CoV-2 infection among People Living With HIV (PLWH) is not well-described. Objective To study COVID-19 symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 PCR-based swab testing among participants of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). Methods A telephone survey was collected April-June 30, 2020. Symptom and testing prevalence were explored. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Results The survey was completed by 3411 participants, including 2078 (61%) PLWH and 1333 HIV-seronegative (SN) participants from across the US. Thirteen percent (n = 441) were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection (13.4% of PLWH vs 12.2% of SN). Among those tested, positivity was higher in PLWH than SN (11.2% vs 6.1%, p = 0.08). Reasons for not being tested included testing not being available (30% of participants) and not knowing where to get tested (16% of participants). Most symptoms reported since January 2020 were similar in PLWH and SN, including headache (23% vs. 24%), myalgias (19% vs 18%), shortness of breath (14% vs 13%), chills (12% vs 10%), fever (6% vs 6%) and loss of taste or smell (6% vs 7%). Among PLWH who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 DNA, the most common symptoms were headache (71%), myalgia (68%), cough (68%) and chills (65%). In multivariable analysis among those tested, the odds of SARS-CoV-2 positivity were higher among PLWH than SN (aOR = 2.22 95%CI = 01.01–4.85, p = 0.046) and among those living with others versus living alone (aOR = 2.95 95%CI = 1.18–7.40). Conclusion Prevalence and type of COVID-19 symptoms were similar in PLWH and SN. SARS-CoV-2 infection may be elevated among PLWH

Experience of Forced Sex and Subsequent Sexual, Drug, and Mental Health Outcomes: African American and Hispanic Women in the Southeastern United States

OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study examined African American and Hispanic women’s (N = 1,509) self-reports of unwanted forced sex and its association with behavioral and mental health outcomes after the event. METHODS: Twenty percent of the women had experienced forced sex (1st occurrence at age 15 years or younger for 10%, 1st occurrence at older than 15 years of age for 10%). RESULTS: Regardless of when forced sex 1st occurred, women were more likely to have engaged in unprotected vaginal and anal sex, to have had multiple unprotected sex partners, to have sexually transmitted infections, to have reported binge drinking and illicit drug use, and to exhibit distress and have received mental health counseling. CONCLUSIONS: Forced sex may have wide-ranging behavioral and mental health consequences years later