The predominant relationship between sexual environment characteristics and HIV-serodiscordant condomless anal sex among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM)

In some studies, situational factors have been shown to be stronger predictors of condomless sex than individual risk factors. Cross-sectional relationships between condomless anal sex (CAS) with HIV-serodiscordant partners and risk factors across ecological levels (individual, sexual environment) were examined using a sample (N = 60) of HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) who reported multiple recent episodes of CAS. Negative binomial regressions were used to evaluate the association of contextual risk factors (e.g., substance use during sex, transactional sex, public sex, sex at a sex party) with recent condomless sex, controlling for demographics and mental health. Results demonstrated that sexual environment factors, particularly sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol (B = .019, p < .05), transactional sex (B = .035, p < .01), and public sex (B = .039, p < .01) explained a large proportion of the variance in CAS. Only sex at a sex party was not related to CAS (p = .39). For each additional sexual environment in which men engaged, their rates of CAS increased (B = .39, p < .01). Secondary prevention interventions that are tailored to the proximal sexual environment could be maximally effective, particularly if they address substance use and other challenging sexual situations.We are very grateful to the participants for their time and efforts in the study. Support for the current study came from a feasibility grant (PI: Conall O'Cleirigh) from the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research (Parent Grant: P30AI060354, PI: Bruce Walker, MD) awarded to Dr. Conall O'Cleirigh. Investigator support for Dr. Steven Safren also came from NIH Grant K24MH094214. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. (P30AI060354 - Harvard University Center for AIDS Research; K24MH094214 - NIH)Accepted manuscrip

Adolescent HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Prescribing Practices Among Family Medicine Physicians: Limited Immediate Uptake

Introduction: In the United States, individuals aged 13-24 made up 21% of new HIV infections in 2016. In 2018, the FDA approved tenofovir/emtricitabine as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for adolescents aged 15-17. In 2019, we examined adolescent PrEP prescribing practices among family medicine physicians at an academic family medicine practice. Methods: Physicians were invited to complete an online questionnaire assessing PrEP knowledge, attitudes, and prescribing practices. Differences in PrEP knowledge and attitudes among providers who prescribe PrEP to adolescents versus those who do not were examined using independent samples t-tests. Results: 50 out of 99 surveys were completed. Respondents were 90% White, 84% heterosexual, 50% attendings, 50% residents/fellows, and 2% HIV specialists. All respondents had heard of PrEP before the survey, 76% had prescribed PrEP and 70% reported being aware of the FDA approval of PrEP for adolescents. While 86% reported treating patients aged 15-17, only 6% reported having prescribed PrEP to this demographic. Physicians who reported prescribing PrEP to adolescents reported greater comfort assessing for indications for PrEP, t(48)= -2.23, p \u3c 0.05, greater PrEP knowledge, t(47)= -3.34, p \u3c 0.005, and felt PrEP was safer, t(48)= -2.09, p \u3c 0.05, compared to physicians who had not. Conclusion: Despite universal awareness of PrEP, high rates of prescribing to adults, and awareness of FDA approval of PrEP for adolescents, PrEP prescribing to adolescents in our sample remains limited. Differences between providers who have and have not prescribed PrEP to adolescents suggest targeted training may boost prescribing to this demographic

Project enhance: A randomized controlled trial of an individualized HIV prevention intervention for HIV-infected men who have sex with men conducted in a primary care setting.

OBJECTIVE: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are the largest group of individuals in the U.S. living with HIV and have the greatest number of new infections. This study was designed to test a brief, culturally relevant prevention intervention for HIV-infected MSM, which could be integrated into HIV care. METHOD: HIV-infected MSM who received HIV care in a community health center (N = 201), and who reported HIV sexual transmission-risk behavior (TRB) in the prior 6 months, were randomized to receive the intervention or treatment as usual. The intervention, provided by a medical social worker, included proactive case management for psychosocial problems, counseling about living with HIV, and HIV TRB risk reduction. Participants were followed every 3 months for one year. RESULTS: Participants, regardless of study condition, reported reductions in HIV TRB, with no significant differential effect by condition in primary intent-to-treat analyses. When examining moderators, the intervention was differentially effective in reducing HIV TRB for those who screened in for baseline depression, but this was not the case for those who did not screen in for depression. CONCLUSIONS: The similar level of reduction in HIV TRB in the intervention and control groups, consistent with other recent secondary prevention interventions, speaks to the need for new, creative designs, or more potent interventions in secondary HIV prevention trials, as the control group seemed to benefit from risk assessment, study contact, and referrals provided by study staff. The differential finding for those with depression may suggest that those without depression could reap benefits from limited interventions, but those with a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis may require additional interventions to modify their sexual risk behaviors

Optimizing Pre-Exposure Antiretroviral Prophylaxis Adherence in Men Who Have Sex with Men: Results of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of "Life-Steps for PrEP"

Antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been demonstrated to decrease HIV acquisition in multiple efficacy trials, but medication adherence is critical, and was suboptimal in several studies. Fifty HIV-uninfected at risk men who have sex with men (MSM) were randomized to a cognitive behavioral intervention condition or a time and session-matched comparison counseling intervention. The experimental intervention entailed four nurse-delivered initial and two booster sessions based on Life-Steps, an ART treatment adherence intervention. The comparison condition provided information and supportive counseling. The primary analyses compared adherence (Wisepill and tenofovir plasma levels) at 3 and 6 months. Fifty-eight MSM were screened to enroll 50 participants. Median age was 38.2 years old, 86% were white; 64% had completed college. Wisepill adherence was high in both groups, and not statistically different. Plasma tenofovir levels were significantly higher in the intervention group at 6 months using mean substitution analysis (i.e., computing missing variables) (p = 0.037), however, in the completer analyses (i.e., using only those completing all study visits), there were no statistically significant differences between randomization conditions. Medication adherence was high across a cognitive-behavioral (Life-Steps) and time-matched counseling intervention for PrEP adherence, with some evidence suggesting superiority of Life-Steps in this pilot RCT. Further evaluation in a fully powered efficacy trial is warranted to assess the robustness of this intervention

Feasibility of Short-Term PrEP Uptake for Men Who Have Sex With Men With Episodic Periods of Increased HIV Risk.

BackgroundPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is efficacious in reducing HIV acquisition. For some gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), daily ongoing PrEP may be unsuitable for use as a long-term prevention strategy because of episodic risk, cost issues, or concerns about the biological consequences of medication.SettingThis study evaluated the feasibility of short-term, fixed-interval episodic PrEP (Epi-PrEP) for use among vacationing MSM. We describe the feasibility of implementing a clinic-based Epi-PrEP pilot program for 48 MSM who reported occasional condomless sex and anticipated a defined high-risk time.MethodsThis was a nonrandomized naturalistic study of an observational clinical intervention. The primary outcome assessed was adherence, as measured by self-report and plasma tenofovir levels.ResultsOf 54 MSM who enrolled in the study, 48 completed the 3-month visit. The majority (93.7%) had tenofovir concentrations consistent with daily use on returning from vacation. Almost 3/4 reported condomless sex during vacation, and about 1/3 reported recreational drug use. During the 3-month follow-up, 1 participant had become HIV-infected because of a lapse in continued access to the PrEP after study. Although adverse events were common, none were serious. More than 70% of participants indicated an interest in daily ongoing PrEP use.ConclusionsEpi-PrEP was well tolerated by at risk MSM in this study, with high levels of medication adherence. Many participants felt the experience of initiating PrEP while on vacation could be a means for transition to long-term PrEP use

Sexual minority specific and related traumatic experiences are associated with increased risk for smoking among gay and bisexual men

OBJECTIVE: Our study examined the hypothesis that sexual minority specific stress and trauma histories may explain some of the risk for smoking among gay/bisexual men. METHODS: Patients at a Boston community health center were invited to complete a 25-item questionnaire assessing demographics, general health, trauma history, and substance use. Of the 3,103 who responded, 1309 identified as male and gay or bisexual (82.8% White and mean age of 38.55 [sd = 9.76]). RESULTS: A multinomial logistic regression with current and former smoking status as the outcome (never smoked as referent group) and covariates of age, education, employment, HIV status, and race, showed that the number of sexual minority stressors/traumas were significantly related to the odds of both current and former smoking. In comparison to participants with no trauma history, those who reported 1, 2, 3, and 4 traumas had respectively 1.70 (OR=1.70: 95% CI: 1.24-2.34), 2.19 (OR=2.19: 95% CI: 1.48-3.23), 2.88 (OR=2.88: 95% CI: 1.71-4.85), and 6.94 (OR=6.94: 95% CI: 2.62-18.38) the odds of identifying as a current smoker. Adjusted logistic regression analysis revealed a significant dose effect of number of sexual minority stressors/traumas with odds of ever smoking. Experiencing intimate partner violence, anti-gay verbal attack, anti-gay physical attack, and childhood sexual abuse were each independently associated with increased odds of the smoking outcomes. CONCLUSION: A sexual minority specific trauma history may represent a vulnerability for smoking among gay/bisexual men. Interventions that address trauma may enhance the efficacy of smoking cessation programs and improve the mental health of gay/bisexual men

Optimizing Content for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Counseling for Men Who Have Sex with Men: Perspectives of PrEP Users and High-Risk PrEP Naïve Men

Existing trials of antiretroviral (ARV) medication as chemoprophylaxis against HIV reveal that the degree of protection is primarily dependent on product adherence. However, there is a lack of data on targets for behavioral interventions to improve adherence to ARV as prevention. Information from individuals who have used ARV as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can inform behavioral intervention development. Thirty-nine HIV-uninfected MSM at high risk for HIV acquisition participated in one of four semi-structured focus groups. Two of the focus groups consisted of MSM who had been prescribed and used PrEP in the context of a clinical trial; the other two consisted of high-risk MSM who had not previously used PrEP. An in-depth, within-case/across-case content analysis resulted in six descriptive themes potentially salient for a PrEP adherence behavioral intervention: (1) motivations to use PrEP, (2) barriers to PrEP use, (3) facilitators to PrEP use, (4) sexual decision-making in the context of PrEP, (5) prospective PrEP education content, and, (6) perceived effective characteristics of PrEP delivery personnel. Addressing these themes in behavioral interventions in the context of prescribing PrEP may result in the optimal “packaging” public health programs that implement PrEP for high-risk MSM

The Predominant Relationship Between Sexual Environment Characteristics and HIV-Serodiscordant Condomless Anal Sex Among HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)

In some studies, situational factors have been shown to be stronger predictors of condomless sex than individual risk factors. Cross-sectional relationships between condomless anal sex (CAS) with HIV-serodiscordant partners and risk factors across ecological levels (individual, sexual environment) were examined using a sample (N = 60) of HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) who reported multiple recent episodes of CAS. Negative binomial regressions were used to evaluate the association of contextual risk factors (e.g., substance use during sex, transactional sex, public sex, sex at a sex party) with recent condomless sex, controlling for demographics and mental health. Results demonstrated that sexual environment factors, particularly sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol (B = .019, p < .05), transactional sex (B = .035, p < .01), and public sex (B = .039, p < .01) explained a large proportion of the variance in CAS. Only sex at a sex party was not related to CAS (p = .39). For each additional sexual environment in which men engaged, their rates of CAS increased (B = .39, p < .01). Secondary prevention interventions that are tailored to the proximal sexual environment could be maximally effective, particularly if they address substance use and other challenging sexual situations

“Life-Steps” for PrEP Adherence: Demonstration of a CBT-Based Intervention to Increase Adherence to Preexposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Medication Among Sexual-Minority Men at High Risk for HIV Acquisition

One dramatic advance in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention efforts has been the prescription of medications typically used for HIV treatment as prophylaxis against acquiring HIV. As a preventative agent, this practice is referred to as “preexposure prophylaxis” (PrEP). The U.S. Federal Drug Administration approved daily PrEP for adults at risk for HIV who do not consistently use condoms during sex with HIV-infected or unknown-status partners. In this paper, we describe a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) PrEP adherence intervention developed for use in high-risk sexual-minority men in the United States, adapted from “Life-Steps,” an evidence-based CBT intervention to promote adherence to HIV treatment. Modules include creating a PrEP dosing schedule, adhering to daily PrEP, problem solving barriers to adherence, and sexual risk-reduction techniques. Supplemented with practical video vignettes, this novel intervention may help to enhance the clinical practice of health care providers in outpatient settings to increase PrEP adherence in sexual-minority men