Women’s Health Care Utilization among Harder-to-Reach HIV-Infected Women ever on Antiretroviral Therapy in British Columbia

Background. HIV-infected women are disproportionately burdened by gynaecological complications, psychological disorders, and certain sexually transmitted infections that may not be adequately addressed by HIV-specific care. We estimate the prevalence and covariates of women’s health care (WHC) utilization among harder-to-reach, treatment-experienced HIV-infected women in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Methods. We used survey data from 231 HIV-infected, treatment-experienced women enrolled in the Longitudinal Investigations into Supportive and Ancillary Health Services (LISA) study, which recruited harder-to-reach populations, including aboriginal people and individuals using injection drugs. Independent covariates of interest included sociodemographic, psychosocial, behavioural, individual health status, structural factors, and HIV clinical variables. Logistic regression was used to generate adjusted estimates of associations between use of WHC and covariates of interest. Results. Overall, 77% of women reported regularly utilizing WHC. WHC utilization varied significantly by region of residence (P value <0.01). In addition, women with lower annual income (AOR (95% CI) = 0.14 (0.04–0.54)), who used illicit drugs (AOR (95% CI) = 0.42 (0.19–0.92)) and who had lower provider trust (AOR (95% CI) = 0.97 (0.95–0.99)), were significantly less likely to report using WHC. Conclusion. A health service gap exists along geographical and social axes for harder-to-reach HIV-infected women in BC. Women-centered WHC and HIV-specific care should be streamlined and integrated to better address women’s holistic health

Validating a Shortened Depression Scale (10 Item CES-D) among HIV-Positive People in British Columbia, Canada

Objective To establish the reliability and validity of a shortened (10-item) depression scale used among HIV-positive patients enrolled in the Drug Treatment Program in British Columbia, Canada. Methods The 10-item CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) was examined among 563 participants who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) between August 1, 1996 and June 30, 2002. Internal consistency of the scale was measured by Cronbach’s alpha. Using the original CES-D 20 as primary criteria, comparisons were made using the Kappa statistic. Predictive accuracy of CES-D 10 was assessed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values. Factor analysis was also performed to determine if the CES-D 10 contained the same factors of positive and negative affect found in the original development of the CES-D. Results The correlation between the original and the shortened scale is very high (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.97 (P<0.001). Internal consistency reliability coefficients of the CES-D 10 were satisfactory (Cronbach α = 0.88). The CES-D 10 showed comparable accuracy to the original CES-D 20 in classifying participants with depressive symptoms (Kappa = 0.82, P<0.001). Sensitivity of CES-D 10 was 91%; specificity was 92%; and positive predictive value was 92%. Factor analysis demonstrates that CES-D 10 contains the same underlying factors of positive and negative affect found in the original development of the CES-D 20. Conclusion The 10-item CES-D is a comparable tool to measure depressive symptoms among HIV-positive research participants

Pregnancy Incidence and Intention after HIV Diagnosis among Women Living With HIV in Canada

Background Pregnancy incidence rates among women living with HIV (WLWH) have increased over time due to longer life expectancy, improved health status, and improved access to and HIV prevention benefits of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). However, it is unclear whether intended or unintended pregnancies are contributing to observed increases. Methods We analyzed retrospective data from the Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS). Kaplan-Meier methods and GEE Poisson models were used to measure cumulative incidence and incidence rate of pregnancy after HIV diagnosis overall, and by pregnancy intention. We used multivariable logistic regression models to examine independent correlates of unintended pregnancy among the most recent/current pregnancy. Results Of 1,165 WLWH included in this analysis, 278 (23.9%) women reported 492 pregnancies after HIV diagnosis, 60.8% of which were unintended. Unintended pregnancy incidence (24.6 per 1,000 Women-Years (WYs); 95% CI: 21.0, 28.7) was higher than intended pregnancy incidence (16.6 per 1,000 WYs; 95% CI: 13.8, 20.1) (Rate Ratio: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2–1.8). Pregnancy incidence among WLWH who initiated cART before or during pregnancy (29.1 per 1000 WYs with 95% CI: 25.1, 33.8) was higher than among WLWH not on cART during pregnancy (11.9 per 1000 WYs; 95% CI: 9.5, 14.9) (Rate Ratio: 2.4, 95% CI: 2.0–3.0). Women with current or recent unintended pregnancy (vs. intended pregnancy) had higher adjusted odds of being single (AOR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.10, 3.42), younger at time of conception (AOR: 0.95 per year increase, 95% CI: 0.90, 0.99), and being born in Canada (AOR: 2.76, 95% CI: 1.55, 4.92). Conclusion Nearly one-quarter of women reported pregnancy after HIV diagnosis, with 61% of all pregnancies reported as unintended. Integrated HIV and reproductive health care programming is required to better support WLWH to optimize pregnancy planning and outcomes and to prevent unintended pregnancy

The Problematization of Sexuality among Women Living with HIV and a New Feminist Approach for Understanding and Enhancing Women’s Sexual Lives

In the context of HIV, women’s sexual rights and sexual autonomy are important but frequently overlooked and violated. Guided by community voices, feminist theories, and qualitative empirical research, we reviewed two decades of global quantitative research on sexuality among women living with HIV. In the 32 studies we found, conducted in 25 countries and composed mostly of cis-gender heterosexual women, sexuality was narrowly constructed as sexual behaviours involving risk (namely, penetration) and physiological dysfunctions relating to HIV illness, with far less attention given to the fullness of sexual lives in context, including more positive and rewarding experiences such as satisfaction and pleasure. Findings suggest that women experience declines in sexual activity, function, satisfaction, and pleasure following HIV diagnosis, at least for some period. The extent of such declines, however, is varied, with numerous contextual forces shaping women’s sexual well-being. Clinical markers of HIV (e.g., viral load, CD4 cell count) poorly predicted sexual outcomes, interrupting widely held assumptions about sexuality for women with HIV. Instead, the effects of HIV-related stigma intersecting with inequities related to trauma, violence, intimate relations, substance use, poverty, aging, and other social and cultural conditions primarily influenced the ways in which women experienced and enacted their sexuality. However, studies framed through a medical lens tended to pathologize outcomes as individual “problems,” whereas others driven by a public health agenda remained primarily preoccupied with protecting the public from HIV. In light of these findings, we present a new feminist approach for research, policy, and practice toward understanding and enhancing women’s sexual lives—one that affirms sexual diversity; engages deeply with society, politics, and history; and is grounded in women’s sexual rights

Cancer risk among women living with HIV: Implications for care in the modern cART era

Following the advent of modern combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in 1996, a temporal decline was widely observed in AIDS-related morbidity and mortality. In the province of British Columbia (BC), universal provision of cART free-of-charge for people living with HIV (PLHW) has contributed in part to a significant demographic shift, with individuals over 50 years of age comprising over half of all PLHW. In this context there is a need to understand how comorbidities, such as cancer, impact this aging cohort. Within this line of inquiry, it is imperative to look at cancer risk specifically amongst women living with HIV (WLWH). The majority of studies looking at cancer as a co-morbid condition among PLWH fail to conduct sex-stratified analyses, which may obscure the burden of cancer risk specific to WLWH. Using a Life Course Epidemiology framework, the objectives of this PhD dissertation were to: 1) measure cancer incidence among WLWH in BC compared to a general population sample of women; 2) identify the role of early cART initiation in mitigating excess risk of cancer observed among WLWH; and 3) estimate the burden of cancer-related mortality among PLWH. This research utilized administrative health data from Population Data BC (which included data from the BC Cancer Agency and Vital Statistics) and clinical HIV data from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Findings suggest WLWH experience an increased risk of certain cancers, notably for certain viral-related malignancies, in comparison to HIV-negative women in the modern cART era. A protective effect of early initiation of cART therapy was found for some types of cancer, suggesting oncological health benefits might be associated with timely initiation of cART after HIV diagnosis for WLWH. Finally, sex stratified age-adjusted cancer-related mortality rates promisingly suggest there may not be significantly different cancer-related mortality outcomes between PLWH and the general population. This dissertation demonstrates that cancer-related morbidity is a healthcare priority for the growing aging demographic of WLWH and subsequently highlights the importance of appropriate and effective routine cancer screening measures as well as comprehensive HIV care inclusive of timely diagnosis and cART initiation

Incarceration is associated with used syringe lending among active injection drug users with detectable plasma HIV-1 RNA: a longitudinal analysis

Background: Informed by recent studies demonstrating the central role of plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL) on HIV transmission, interventions to employ HIV antiretroviral treatment as prevention (TasP) are underway. To optimize these efforts, evidence is needed to identify factors associated with both non-suppressed VL and HIV risk behaviours. Thus, we sought to assess the possible role played by exposure to correctional facilities on VL non-suppression and used syringe lending among HIV-seropositive people who use injection drugs (PWID). Methods We used data from the ACCESS study, a community-recruited prospective cohort. We used longitudinal multivariate mixed-effects analyses to estimate the relationship between incarceration and plasma HIV-1 RNA > 500 copies/mL among antiretroviral therapy (ART)-exposed active PWID and, during periods of non-suppression, the relationship between incarceration and used syringe lending. Results Between May 1996 and March 2012, 657 ART-exposed PWID were recruited. Incarceration was independently associated with higher odds of VL non-suppression (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 1.54, 95% Confidence Interval [95% CI]: 1.10, 2.16). In a separate multivariate model restricted to periods of VL non-suppression, incarceration was independently associated with lending used syringes (AOR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.03, 3.18). Conclusions The current findings demonstrate that incarceration is associated with used syringe lending among active PWID with detectable plasma HIV-1 RNA. Our results provide a possible pathway for the commonly observed association between incarceration and increased risk of HIV transmission. Our results suggest that alternatives to incarceration of non-violent PWID and evidence-based combination HIV prevention interventions for PWID within correctional facilities are urgently needed.Medicine, Faculty ofNon UBCReviewedFacult

Characterizing opioid agonist therapy uptake and factors associated with treatment retention among people with HIV in British Columbia, Canada

Accidental overdoses are now the leading cause of death among people with HIV (PWH) in British Columbia (BC). We examined the utilization and retention of opioid agonist therapy (OAT).Adult PWH (≥19 years) with ≥ 1 OAT dispensation in BC between 2008 and 2020 were included (n = 1,515). OAT treatment episodes were formed based on specific criteria for slow-release oral morphine (SROM), methadone, injectable OAT (iOAT), and buprenorphine/naloxone. Retention in treatment was defined as any episode lasting ≥ 12 months. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations modeled retention-associated factors.There was a 56.6% decline in OAT retention over time. Buprenorphine treatment exhibited significantly lower odds of retention (OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.36–0.92) compared to methadone. Conversely, no significant change in retention odds was observed for SROM (0.72; 0.33–1.54) and iOAT (0.81; 0.31–2.12). Factors associated with increased odds of retention included a 10-year increase in age (1.69; 1.46–1.95), previous retention history (1.96; 1.40–2.73), achieving OAT therapeutic dose (8.22; 6.67–10.14), and suppressed HIV viral load (1.35; 1.10–1.67). Individuals with a lifetime HCV diagnosis receiving iOAT were more likely to retain (3.61; 1.20–10.83). Each additional year on OAT during the study period was associated with a 4% increase in the odds of retention.A significant proportion of PWH had a history of OAT prescribing but experienced low retention rates. Retention outcomes were more positive for SROM and iOAT. The association between OAT medication type and retention odds may be particularly influenced by HCV diagnosis. Optimal management of opioid use disorder among PWH, with an emphasis on attaining the therapeutic dose is crucial