Dataset Information

A Peer-Led Online Community to Increase HIV Self-Testing Among African American and Latinx MSM: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

We sought to assess the effectiveness of using a peer-led online community to increase HIV self-testing among Latinx and African American men who have sex with men (MSM).

Design

Randomized controlled trial.

Methods

Throughout 6 waves, between February 18, 2017, and January 8, 2021, 900 HIV negative and/or serostatus unknown Los Angeles-based MSM (68.9% Latinx, 16.0% African American, and 7.4% White) participated in an online 12-week HIV prevention randomized controlled trial. A total of 79 trained role models (peer leaders) were randomly assigned to participants within clusters to build trust and deliver HIV testing information on Facebook groups. Participants in control groups were assigned to groups without peer leaders. Participants were not required to respond to peer leaders or to remain group members. Participants completed self-report assessments at baseline and 12-week follow-up and could receive a free HIV self-testing kit during the study period.

Results

Compared with control group participants, intervention group participants were significantly more likely to accept the offer for the HIV self-testing kit (intervention 130 of 450, 29%; control 102 of 450, 22.7%; odds ratio = 1.43, 95% confidence interval: 1.04 to 1.95, P = 0.03), report having taken an HIV self-test within the past 3 months (odds ratio = 1.47, 95% confidence interval: 1.01 to 2.13, P = 0.04), and report drinking fewer glasses of alcohol in an average week (P = 0.01). Effects seemed concentrated within later study waves. Study retention was greater than 93%.

Conclusions

A peer-led online community seems to be an effective method of increasing HIV self-testing among MSM of color. We discuss the implications of the wave effects on public health research and policy.

SUBMITTER: Young SD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8986620 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A Peer-Led Online Community to Increase HIV Self-Testing Among African American and Latinx MSM: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Young Sean D SD Cumberland William G WG Singh Parvati P Coates Thomas T

Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 20220501 1

<h4>Objective</h4>We sought to assess the effectiveness of using a peer-led online community to increase HIV self-testing among Latinx and African American men who have sex with men (MSM).<h4>Design</h4>Randomized controlled trial.<h4>Methods</h4>Throughout 6 waves, between February 18, 2017, and January 8, 2021, 900 HIV negative and/or serostatus unknown Los Angeles-based MSM (68.9% Latinx, 16.0% African American, and 7.4% White) participated in an online 12-week HIV prevention randomized contr ...[more]

PMID: 35044989

Similar Datasets

Project description:Background and objectivesExperiencing structural racism over the life course contributes to disproportionate pain-related disability among African American older adults. Positive STEPS, delivered by community health workers, is a culturally congruent chronic pain self-management intervention that incorporates positive psychology principles and gives attention to social determinants of pain and pain management.Research design and methodsWe conducted a randomized pilot trial among older adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain in an underserved, primarily African American community (Detroit, Michigan). The 7-week intervention included weekly telephone sessions with a community health worker; web-based videos teaching pain self-management skills; positive activities (e.g., Life Review, Gratitude Jar); and use of wearable activity trackers. Outcomes were measured at baseline and 8-week follow-up. We assessed participant retention, engagement, and satisfaction.ResultsStudy completers (n = 46; 90% retention) were 93% African American, 89% female, mean 72 years, and completed 5.7 of 7 sessions. Intervention participants versus controls showed greater improvement in PROMIS Pain Interference (4.3-point T-score decrease vs. 0.4-point increase; p = .01) and the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (p = .007). Furthermore, compared with controls, significantly more intervention participants reported "better" or "much better" global functioning (86% vs. 25%; p = .000) and pain (67% vs. 21%; p = .003) since baseline. Improvements in physical functioning, social participation, and resilience were noted, but differences were not significant. Participant feedback on the intervention was overwhelmingly positive.Discussion and implicationsA community health worker-led chronic pain self-management intervention combining positive activities with self-management skills training demonstrated the potential to enhance pain-related functioning among a vulnerable group of older adults.Clinical trial numberNCT04321239.

Project description:IntroductionIn June 2021, United Nations (UN) Member States committed to ambitious targets for scaling up community-led responses by 2025 toward meeting the goals of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. These targets build on UN Member States 2016 commitments to ensure that 30% of HIV testing and treatment programmes are community-led by 2030. At its current pace, the world is not likely to meet these nor other global HIV targets, as evidenced by current epidemiologic trends. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to further slow momentum made to date. The purpose of this paper is to review available evidence on the comparative advantages of community-led HIV responses that can better inform policy making towards getting the world back on track.MethodsWe conducted a scoping review to gather available evidence on peer- and community-led HIV responses. Using UNAIDS' definition of 'community-led' and following PRISMA guidelines, we searched peer-reviewed literature published from January 1982 through September 2020. We limited our search to articles reporting findings from randomized controlled trials as well as from quasi-experimental, prospective, pre/post-test evaluation, and cross-sectional study designs. The overall goals of this scoping review were to gather available evidence on community-led responses and their impact on HIV outcomes, and to identify key concepts that can be used to quickly inform policy, practice, and research.FindingsOur initial search yielded 279 records. After screening for relevance and conducting cross-validation, 48 articles were selected. Most studies took place in the global south (n = 27) and a third (n = 17) involved youth. Sixty-five percent of articles (n = 31) described the comparative advantage of peer- and community-led direct services, e.g., prevention and education (n = 23) testing, care, and treatment programs (n = 8). We identified more than 40 beneficial outcomes linked to a range of peer- and community-led HIV activities. They include improved HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, intentions, self-efficacy, risk behaviours, risk appraisals, health literacy, adherence, and viral suppression. Ten studies reported improvements in HIV service access, quality, linkage, utilization, and retention resulting from peer- or community-led programs or initiatives. Three studies reported structural level changes, including positive influences on clinic wait times, treatment stockouts, service coverage, and exclusionary practices.Conclusions and recommendationsFindings from our scoping review underscore the comparative advantage of peer- and community-led HIV responses. Specifically, the evidence from the published literature leads us to recommend, where possible, that prevention programs, especially those intended for people living with and disproportionately affected by HIV, be peer- and community-led. In addition, treatment services should strive to integrate specific peer- and community-led components informed by differentiated care models. Future research is needed and should focus on generating additional quantitative evidence on cost effectiveness and on the synergistic effects of bundling two or more peer- and community-led interventions.

Project description:BackgroundHealth promotion efforts among African American men have been met with significant challenges and have produced limited results. Interventions that do not align with the values, perspectives, and preferences of African American men often produce less effective results. Research among African American men has provided compelling evidence that these men prefer informal networks of health support. Recent successful health promotion efforts among these men have benefited from peer-to-peer models of implementation. To date, no known scoping or systematic review of peer-to-peer health promotion interventions among African American men has been conducted. The goal of this scoping review is to understand the extent of, design, implementation, and use of peer-to-peer interventions to promote health, improve quality of life, and prevent disease among African American men.MethodsA review of the literature will be performed in PubMED, EMBASE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and Web of Science. The development of this protocol was guided by the work of Arksey and O'Malley and the PICOS statement. Reporting will be guided by the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Eligible studies include those testing the effects of a peer-to-peer health promotion intervention targeting African American men. A comparison group will not be required. For the purposes of the current review, "peers" will be limited to other African American men. An initial screening of the titles and abstracts of potentially eligible studies will be completed by two independent reviewers. The full text of records that appear to meet the eligibility criteria will be accessed and further screened. Data will then be extracted and collected using a custom Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Extracted data will include authors' name and publication year, target health issue(s), design of the intervention, components of the intervention, peer-led components of the intervention, peer role, length and type of training for peer leaders, intervention duration, frequency of the intervention, study design and number of participants, and main outcomes. Finally, results will be presented in table format and summarized in text format.DiscussionResults will have implications for the design, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion interventions among African American men.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42020198664.

Project description:BackgroundTreatment for hoarding disorder is typically performed by mental health professionals, potentially limiting access to care in underserved areas.AimsWe aimed to conduct a non-inferiority trial of group peer-facilitated therapy (G-PFT) and group psychologist-led cognitive-behavioural therapy (G-CBT).MethodWe randomised 323 adults with hording disorder 15 weeks of G-PFT or 16 weeks of G-CBT and assessed at baseline, post-treatment and longitudinally (≥3 months post-treatment: mean 14.4 months, range 3-25). Predictors of treatment response were examined.ResultsG-PFT (effect size 1.20) was as effective as G-CBT (effect size 1.21; between-group difference 1.82 points, t = -1.71, d.f. = 245, P = 0.04). More homework completion and ongoing help from family and friends resulted in lower severity scores at longitudinal follow-up (t = 2.79, d.f. = 175, P = 0.006; t = 2.89, d.f. = 175, P = 0.004).ConclusionsPeer-led groups were as effective as psychologist-led groups, providing a novel treatment avenue for individuals without access to mental health professionals.Declaration of interestC.A.M. has received grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and travel reimbursement and speakers' honoraria from the Tourette Association of America (TAA), as well as honoraria and travel reimbursement from the NIH for serving as an NIH Study Section reviewer. K.D. receives research support from the NIH and honoraria and travel reimbursement from the NIH for serving as an NIH Study Section reviewer. R.S.M. receives research support from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Aging, the Hillblom Foundation, Janssen Pharmaceuticals (research grant) and the Alzheimer's Association. R.S.M. has also received travel support from the National Institute of Mental Health for Workshop participation. J.Y.T. receives research support from the NIH, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and the California Tobacco Related Research Program, and honoraria and travel reimbursement from the NIH for serving as an NIH Study Section reviewer. All other authors report no conflicts of interest.

Project description:ImportanceBlack and Latinx communities have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet little work has sought to understand their perspectives.ObjectiveTo explore the experiences of Black and Latinx communities during the pandemic to better understand their perspectives on COVID-19 mitigation behaviors (eg, mask wearing), testing, and vaccines.Design, setting, and participantsIn this community-engaged qualitative study conducted with 18 community-based organizations and 4 health care organizations between November 19, 2020, and February 5, 2021, in New Jersey counties severely affected by the pandemic, group and individual interviews were used to purposively sample 111 Black and Latinx individuals. A total of 13 group interviews were organized by race/ethnicity and language: 4 English-speaking groups with Black participants (n = 34), 3 Spanish-speaking groups with Latinx participants (n = 24), and 4 English-speaking groups with Black and Latinx participants (n = 36). To understand the views of health care workers from these communities, 2 additional groups (n = 9) were convened and supplemented with individual interviews.Main outcomes and measuresDescription of Black and Latinx participants' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and their perspectives on mitigation behaviors, testing, and vaccines.ResultsThe study included 111 participants (87 women [78.4%]; median age, 43 years [range, 18-93 years]). Participants described the devastating effects of the pandemic on themselves, loved ones, and their community. Their experiences were marked by fear, illness, loss, and separation. These experiences motivated intense information seeking, mitigation behaviors, and testing. Nevertheless, vaccine skepticism was high across all groups. Participants did not trust the vaccine development process and wanted clearer information. Black participants expressed that they did not want to be subjects of experiments.Conclusions and relevanceThe remaining unknowns about new vaccines need to be acknowledged and described for Black and Latinx communities to make informed decisions. Ultimately, scientists and public officials need to work transparently to address unanswered questions and work collaboratively with trusted community leaders and health professionals to foster partnered approaches, rather than focusing on marketing campaigns, to eliminate vaccine skepticism.

Dataset Information

A Peer-Led Online Community to Increase HIV Self-Testing Among African American and Latinx MSM: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective

Design

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

A Peer-Led Online Community to Increase HIV Self-Testing Among African American and Latinx MSM: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets