Revista de saude publica最新文献

Objective: To understand the social representations of HIV and their repercussions for the healthcare among recently diagnosed youth.

Methods: This qualitative research was conducted within PrEP15-19, a study that analyzed the effectiveness of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants, of whom eight identified themselves as gay men and one as travesti. All were diagnosed with HIV as this study was conducted in São Paulo and Salvador from 2019 to 2020. The interview guide covered aspects of HIV prevention and repercussions on care. Data were thematically analyzed and interpreted based on social representations theory.

Results: Participants reported experiences of stigma and discrimination related to their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Their diagnosis renewed these painful experiences as it referred to the common-sense social representations of HIV and AIDS based on precarious knowledge of HIV prevention, treatment, and transmission. Analysis of facilitators and barriers to care strongly related treatment adherence to health services welcoming people with information, support, and careful listening. Barriers were related to health services' constraints, such as lack of privacy, professionals' hostility, and insecurity regarding diagnosis confidentiality.

Conclusions: The social representations of HIV are an important dimension of youths' experience receiving their diagnosis, especially since it renews stories of violence, homophobia, transphobia, stigma, and discrimination. Understanding this based on youths' narratives is an important tool to formulate public policies aimed at the needs of this age group. Therefore, building new social representations to mitigate stigma constitutes one of the most important elements to face the HIV epidemic among adolescents and youth.

Objective: This study aims to provide theoretical and methodological tools to assist in producing thematic analyses guided by an intersectional approach in empirically-based qualitative health studies. It argues that combining an intersectional perspective with thematic analysis can update the latter-which is quite popular in qualitative health investigations-regarding meaningful discussions about multiple and interconnected patterns of privilege and oppression that operate structurally and institutionally, producing experiences of relative disadvantage in individuals according to their gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, generation, among other positions.

Methods: Based on an article that analyzed qualitative empirical data from a longitudinal demonstrative study on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP) in adolescents and young people aged 15 to 19 years in two Brazilian capitals, this study discusses the limitations, challenges, and potentialities of the theoretical and methodological efforts undertaken by those authors. Additionally, this research that offers a proposal for operationalizing thematic analysis with intersectional sensitivity.

Results: It observed that triangulating techniques can enhance thematic analysis with intersectional sensitivity to produce qualitative data. Adopting an a priori intersectional proposal, starting from the research design phase, construction, and application of data production instruments with intersectional intentionality, enables the recognition of the relations between social markers in analytical categories.

Discussion: However, the absence of an intersectional theoretical-methodological perspective to conceive research and produce data fails to render intersectionality as a methodological tool unfeasible, although it may limit result analysis and discussion. Such limitations can be addressed by proposing intersectional assumptions and comparing the results with literature related to the theme and object of study.

Objective: This study aims to understand the perceptions and practices of healthcare providers regarding the offer of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to gay and trans adolescents and young adults.

Methods: This qualitative research was developed as part of the PrEP1519 study, which was conducted from 2018 to 2021 to analyze the effectiveness of PrEP in adolescents and young adults. Data were collected from July 2020 to February 2021 at the municipality of São Paulo by combining participant observations and semi-structured interviews. The analytical process involved immersion in the empirical material and coding and categorizing it with the support of NVivo®. Interpretation followed the hermeneutic-dialectical principle and had the concept of Care in health practices as its horizon.

Results: The construction of trust-based relationships followed practices that acknowledge the uniqueness of youth and their demands and sought to strengthen their autonomy. Sensitive and supportive listening was pointed out as a welcoming practice that propelled care actions. Welcoming attitudes and support in facing stigma and violence (related or not to the use of PrEP) acknowledged the need to support adolescents and young adults to develop autonomy for prevention. The use of language close to young people's everyday life favored the construction of relationships of trust and positively influenced the development of autonomy and adherence to PrEP. The tension between technical and practical success occurred in the idealized search for adult-centric normativity as opposed to intersubjectivity.

Conclusion: The perceptions and practices of healthcare providers are aligned with the concept of Care as they include actions beyond technical knowledge and recognize the contexts that increase the vulnerability of adolescents and young adults to HIV.

Objective: Viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections disproportionally affect men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). However, only a few studies have evaluated the prevalence of hepatitis in these populations, especially in youths and adolescents. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of biomarkers for hepatitis A, B, and C among young and adolescent MSM and TGW in three Brazilian municipalities.

Methods: Baseline data were collected from a combination of HIV prevention cohort of young and adolescent MSM (AMSM) and TGW (ATGW) aged 15-19 years in three Brazilian municipalities. A social behavioral questionnaire was applied, and immunoassays were performed to detect antibodies against hepatitis A (anti- HAV IgG and IgM), hepatitis B (anti-HBc and anti-HBs), and hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV); testing for the active hepatitis B marker, HBsAg, was also performed. The prevalence of reactive tests and 95% confidence interval (CI) for proportions were measured.

Results: The prevalence of naturally or artificially acquired immunity for hepatitis A totaled 17.7% (95%CI: 15.4-20.4), whereas that of acute infection, 0.4% (95%CI: 0.2-1.2). For hepatitis B and C, prevalence rates totaled 2.8% (95%CI: 1.8-4.4) and 0.2% (95%CI: 0.1-1.1), respectively. About 25.7% (95%CI: 22.4-29.4) of participants were non-reactive for anti-HBc and reactive for anti-HBs, the latter being a vaccine marker for hepatitis B.

Conclusions: The investigation of viral hepatitis biomarkers among vulnerable populations enables the early identification of infections, the provision of timely treatment, and an opportunity to point out the need to expand vaccination coverage.

Objective: To identify recent HIV-1 infection and estimate HIV incidence among adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM) and transgender women (ATGW) in Brazil.

Methods: From January to December 2020, a cross-sectional analysis was conducted with baseline data from the PrEP1519 study, an HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) demonstration cohort in Brazil among sexually active AMSM/ATGW aged 15-19. For enrollment, participants were screened with a fourth-generation HIV rapid test. The recent infection testing algorithm (RITA) included a recency assay in blood specimens, viral load, and CD4 cell count prior to antiretroviral treatment use. Among these participants, RITA-based HIV incidence was estimated using a mean duration of recency infection of 214 days and a false-recent rate of 0.02.

Results: Out of the 494 participants screened, 21 tested positive for HIV. Following RITA, five adolescents had a recent HIV infection, 14 had long-term infections, and two did not have blood specimens available. We classified these two participants as long-term infection cases due to CD4 cell counts and previous use of antiretroviral treatment. Among those who tested positive, all but one were AMSM (94.7%), 73.6% were aged 18-19, and 76.2% were non-White. The HIV prevalence was 4.2%, and the estimated HIV incidence was 1.7%.

Conclusions: The estimated incidence highlights the need for targeted HIV prevention interventions, such as PrEP, for sexual minority adolescents. Integrating RITA into routine HIV testing services for this population provides valuable information on the current HIV epidemic. This strategy can aid in monitoring the effectiveness of prevention efforts and improving early entry to HIV care.

Objective: This article discusses how Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and the undetectable viral load=untransmissible (UVL=U) have produced reconfigurations in the contexts of affective-sexual encounters of young gay men/men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV (YLHIV).

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with nine YLHIV, aged 18 to 29, from two studies conducted in Salvador, Bahia, in 2019 and 2021. The narratives focused on unprecedented events in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, which have allowed experiences of greater intimacy and safety but also challenges and tensions in affective-sexual relationships.

Results: Different moments in the experience of living with HIV reveal different narratives of YLHIV concerning the new PrEP and UVL biotechnologies. Concerns surrounding possible HIV transmission or the obligation to reveal serology are more prominent among young people with the most recent diagnosis. In contrast, those with more extended serology experience are more comfortable and confident in the face of new technologies and their significant effects on sexual encounters. However, controversies remain regarding the moral and behavioral consequences of their use. Some YLHIV re-update concerns and bring reports about the continuity of stigma toward people living with HIV. Others emphasize the benefits of biomedical advances, opening up new interactive possibilities, including without the use of condoms, highlighting the existence of other practices, knowledge, dynamics, and ways of negotiating risk/care, with tensions in the field of sexuality itself.

Conclusions: We reiterate the need to resume public policies in the field of HIV/AIDS beyond biomedical strategies, highlighting vulnerabilities, the dissemination of information about new HIV prevention and treatment technologies, respect for people's autonomy in their preventive choices, and the development of strategies to combat the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

Objective: To analyze the factors that increase the practice of condomless anal sex (CAS) among adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM) and adolescent travestis and transgender women (ATGW) in three Brazilian state capitals.

Methods: PrEP1519 is a prospective, multicenter cohort study demonstrating the effectiveness of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among AMSM and ATGW aged from 15 to 19 years in three Brazilian state capitals. The analyses were performed with baseline cohort data, including 1,418 adolescents enrolled from 2019 to 2021. The outcome studied was CAS in the last six months, and the potentially associated factors were sociodemographic, behavioral, healthcare, and history of violence and discrimination. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated.

Results: Most of the participants were AMSM (91.5%), aged 18 to 19 years (75.9%), Black (40.5%), with secondary or higher education in progress (92.7%), with CAS during the first sexual intercourse (54.2%), sexual initiation before the age of 14 (43.4%), and history of group sex (24.6%) and transactional sex (14.6%). The prevalence of CAS in the last six months was 80.6% (95%CI 78.5%-82.6%). Adolescents who reported condomless first sexual intercourse (aPR: 1.18; 95%CI 1.10-1.25), use of psychoactive substances (aPR: 1.09; 95%CI 1.03-1.16), and transactional sex (aPR: 1.11; 95%CI 1.04-1.20) had a higher prevalence of CAS in the last six months. We also found that those aged 15 to 17 years had a higher prevalence of CAS than those aged 18 to 19 (aPR: 1.07; 95%CI 0.99-1.13).

Conclusions: The prevalence of CAS was high among AMSM and ATGW, being associated with practices that may increase the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Therefore, it is recommended to strengthen sexual health programs for young people that address the issue of sexuality and STI prevention, as well as to expand access to preventive methods, such as condoms and PrEP.

Objective: To evaluate whether adolescents from sexual minorities who initiated pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in community-based organizations (COs) are more socially and HIV-vulnerable compared with their counterparts from a conventional health service. In addition, to evaluate whether these adolescents had more timely access to prophylaxis.

Methods: A PrEP demonstration study was conducted in the city of São Paulo in two COs, located in the center (CO-center) and the outskirts (CO-outskirts), and a conventional HIV testing service (CTA-center). Between 2020 and 2022, cisgender male adolescents who have sex with men (aMSM), transgender and gender diverse adolescents (aTTrans) aged 15 to 19 years, HIV-negative, with higher-risk practices for HIV were eligible for PrEP. Indicators of timely access and vulnerabilities of adolescents initiating PrEP in COs were analyzed using CTA-center as a reference and multinomial logistic regression.

Results: 608 adolescents initiated PrEP in COs and CTA-center. Adolescents from COs were associated with a shorter time to PrEP initiation (1-7 days; CO-outskirts: ORa = 2.91; 95%CI 1.22-6.92; CO-center: ORa = 1.91; 95%CI 1.10-3.31); and a lower housing Human Development Index (HDI) (CO-center: ORa = 0.97; 95%CI 0.94-1.00; CO-outskirts: ORa = 0.82; 95%CI 0.78-0.86). In CO-outskirts, there was an increased chance of adolescents being younger (ORa = 3.06; 95%CI 1.63-5.75) and living closer to the service (ORa = 0.82; 95%CI 0.78-0.86, mean 7.8 km). While adolescents from the CO-center were associated with greater prior knowledge of PrEP (ORa = 2.01; 95%CI 1.10-3.91) and high-risk perception (ORa = 2.02; 95%CI 1.18-3.44), adolescents from the COs were not associated with higher-risk sexual practices and situations of vulnerability to HIV.

Conclusion: The provision of PrEP in the COs facilitated access for vulnerable adolescents and may contribute to reducing inequities.

Objective: To identify the factors associated with HIV self-testing (HIVST) uptake among adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM) and adolescent transgender women (ATGW) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional HIVST uptake study was conducted among AMSM and ATGW. Peer educators and health professionals began providing HIVST in February 2019. The outcome was the HIVST uptake before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The association between each predictor and outcome in each period was analyzed using simple and multiple logistic regressions, estimating odds ratios, and their respective 95% confidence intervals.

Results: The uptake was 229/510 (44.9%) and 382/1,075 (35.5%) before and during the pandemic. During the pre-pandemic period, HIVST uptake was higher in participants who reported receptive anal sex. During the pandemic, uptake was lower in participants with a steady sexual partner and higher in those with frequent oral sex with a steady partner in the previous three months. Before and during the pandemic, HIVST uptake was lower in ATGW and higher in those aged 18-19 years and in participants who lived alone.

Conclusions: Uptake decreased during the pandemic. Sexual behavioral factors associated with HIVST uptake changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing the fluid dynamics of sexuality in AMSM and ATGW during this period. HIV programs can optimize the implementation of HIVST among adolescents and young people by incorporating effective and differentiated service delivery models to increase HIV testing uptake and to reach undiagnosed individuals effectively.

Objective: To analyze the impact of intersecting systems of oppression on the continuum of PrEP care among adolescent gays, bisexuals, and other men who have sex with men (aGBMSM), and to examine how health professionals (HP) identify and address these challenges to provide sexual health care and HIV prevention.

Methods: This qualitative exploratory study was part of a cohort research project involving aGBMSM, travesties, and transgender women (aTrTW) using PrEP. Data analyzed consisted of 16 interviews with aGBMSM and eight with health professionals (HPs) in São Paulo study site. The methodological and theoretical framework for the interactive categorization of thematic analysis was based on an intersectional approach.

Results: The knowledge of aGBMSM about PrEP was influenced by the adverse effects of systems of oppression, particularly among Black adolescents, who acquired knowledge in a less technical manner compared to White adolescents. Most professionals recognized oppression and its impact on the PrEP care continuum (PrEPCC), especially noting the presence of racism. However, few articulated how different social markers compound barriers to the success of the PrEPCC.

Conclusion: Social oppression affects the success of the PrEP care continuum (PrEPCC) in multiple ways. Health professionals (HPs) play a crucial role in mitigating and not perpetuating these negative experiences within health services, as well as in PrEP access, use, and adherence.