Examination of the Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and STI/HIV Risk in African American Women in High Risk Areas of Atlanta, GA: A Mixed Methods Analysis

In March 2012, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum creating an interagency Federal Working Group to explore the intersection of HIV/AIDS, violence against women and girls, and gender-related health disparities. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV constitute major public health issues for women, particularly African American women who are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2012, the rate of HIV for African American women was four to 20 times higher than rates for females of other races. This study explores the complex relationship between IPV and STI/HIV risk in African American females. In an attempt to examine the intersection of IPV and STI/HIV risk this study used cross-sectional survey data to quantitatively examine the differences between women who had experienced IPV in the previous 12 months (cases) and women who had not experienced IPV in the previous 12 months (controls) in: 1) previous STI diagnosis, 2) accessing HIV testing and 3) mean scores of fear of condom negotiation due to physical violence. Chi-square analyses were completed to determine if the populations were statistically significant in terms of previous STI diagnosis and accessing HIV testing. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the fear of condom negotiation scores for cases and controls. In addition, qualitative analysis was conducted to further elucidate the mechanisms from experiencing IPV to an increased risk of HIV infection. The quantitative analysis suggests a significant difference between fear of condom negotiation due to fear of physical violence. The qualitative analysis suggests that women who experience IPV are often forced to have sex with their partners, experience physical violence in response to condom negotiation and use drugs and/or alcohol to cope with the abuse. HIV prevention interventions need to address IPV as a possible risk factor. In addition, an enhancement of IPV screening in healthcare settings is needed. Future prospective studies are critical to address the issues of temporality and causality

Study of Healthcare Personnel with Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses in Israel (SHIRI): study protocol

Abstract Background The Study of Healthcare Personnel with Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses in Israel (SHIRI) prospectively follows a cohort of healthcare personnel (HCP) in two hospitals in Israel. SHIRI will describe the frequency of influenza virus infections among HCP, identify predictors of vaccine acceptance, examine how repeated influenza vaccination may modify immunogenicity, and evaluate influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing influenza illness and missed work. Methods Cohort enrollment began in October, 2016; a second year of the study and a second wave of cohort enrollment began in June 2017. The study will run for at least 3 years and will follow approximately 2000 HCP (who are both employees and members of Clalit Health Services [CHS]) with routine direct patient contact. Eligible HCP are recruited using a stratified sampling strategy. After informed consent, participants complete a brief enrollment survey with questions about occupational responsibilities and knowledge, attitudes, and practices about influenza vaccines. Blood samples are collected at enrollment and at the end of influenza season; HCP who choose to be vaccinated contribute additional blood one month after vaccination. During the influenza season, participants receive twice-weekly short message service (SMS) messages asking them if they have acute respiratory illness or febrile illness (ARFI) symptoms. Ill participants receive follow-up SMS messages to confirm illness symptoms and duration and are asked to self-collect a nasal swab. Information on socio-economic characteristics, current and past medical conditions, medical care utilization and vaccination history is extracted from the CHS database. Information about missed work due to illness is obtained by self-report and from employee records. Respiratory specimens from self-collected nasal swabs are tested for influenza A and B viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, and coronaviruses using validated multiplex quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays. The hemagglutination inhibition assay will be used to detect the presence of neutralizing influenza antibodies in serum. Discussion SHIRI will expand our knowledge of the burden of respiratory viral infections among HCP and the effectiveness of current and repeated annual influenza vaccination in preventing influenza illness, medical utilization, and missed workdays among HCP who are in direct contact with patients. Trial registration NCT03331991 . Registered on November 6, 2017.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146186/1/12879_2018_Article_3444.pd