There’s an App for That: Using Geosocial Networking Apps to Access Young Black Gay, Bisexual, and other MSM at Risk for HIV

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Errol L. Fields ◽  
Amanda Long ◽  
Derek T. Dangerfield ◽  
Anthony Morgan ◽  
Mudia Uzzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Hiv Transmission ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Transmitted Infection ◽  
Categorical Analysis ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Geosocial Networking

Purpose: Young black gay, bisexual, and other MSM (YBMSM) that carry a disproportionate HIV burden in the US Geosocial networking applications (GSN apps) are environments that may increase HIV risk among users. This study explored the acceptability and feasibility of using these apps for HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) public health outreach. Design: Semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews. Setting: A frequently reported GSN app for meeting sex partners by newly diagnosed HIV-infected MSM in Baltimore. Participants: Seventeen YBMSM aged 18 to 24 (mean = 21.5/SD = 1.8) who were logged-on to the GSN app in venues or census tracts in high HIV transmission areas. Methods: Participants completed 60 to 90 minute semi-structured interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. Interview data were analyzed in NVivo10 using categorical analysis and double-coded until consistency was achieved. Results: Participants described GSN apps as acceptable and feasible resources for public health practitioners seeking to access YBMSM to provide HIV/STI treatment and prevention services and resources. Three themes emerged: (1) the need to authenticate public health messages to distinguish from spam; (2) improved access to YBMSM including opportunities to identify and access virtual congregations of youth in non-gay-related spaces; and (3) the importance of avoiding stigmatizing YBMSM when targeting sexual health messages. Conclusion: GSN apps have great potential as tools for identifying and engaging at-risk YBMSM. Additional work is needed to understand limitations of this medium, to develop strategies to engage YBMSM without further stigmatizing them, and to maximize their outreach potential.

scholarly journals Antivirals for treatment and prevention of human seasonal influenza

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Clayton Chiu ◽  
Robert Booy ◽  
Dominic E Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Human Influenza ◽  
Public Health Strategy ◽  
Risk Population ◽  
Population Groups ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Health Strategy ◽  
Seasonal Epidemic

While immunisation is the primary public health strategy for prevention of influenza, antivirals are important complementary measures for controlling seasonal/epidemic human influenza, especially when there is a mismatch between circulating and vaccine strains and in at-risk population groups.

scholarly journals Taking preventative health messages into the wider caring professions: the views of housing staff and tenants

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 674-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay Blank ◽  
Eleanor Holding ◽  
Mary Crowder ◽  
Sally Butterworth ◽  
Ed Ferrari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Preventative Health ◽  
Lifestyle Choices ◽  
Housing Professionals ◽  
Potential Impact

ABSTRACT Background In order to harness the potential impact of the wider public health workforce, innovative services are providing opportunities for social housing staff to extend their public health role. This study explored the views of housing professionals and social housing residents on the delivery of preventative health messages by housing staff in the context of the evaluation of the roll-out of a new service. Methods We conducted semi structured interviews with 21 neighbourhood housing officers, 4 managers and 30 social housing tenants to understand their views on the widening role and the potential impact on the preventative healthcare messages being delivered. Results Neighbourhood officers were willing to discuss existing health conditions with tenants; but they often did not feel comfortable discussing their lifestyle choices. Most tenants also reported that they would feel discussions around lifestyle behaviours to be intrusive and outside the remit of housing staff. Conclusions Resistance to discussions of lifestyle topics during home visits was found among both housing staff and tenants. Appropriate staff training and the development of strong and trusting relationships between officers and tenants is needed, if similar programmes to extend the role of housing staff are to succeed in terms of health impact.

scholarly journals Leveraging Evidence-Based Messaging to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Browning ◽  
Melissa E Moss ◽  
Elliot Berkman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Goal Orientation ◽  
Message Framing ◽  
Goal Orientations ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
At Risk Populations

With cases of COVID-19 still spreading in America, and vaccines still inaccessible or undesired by many, individual mitigation behaviors, such as mask-wearing, remain critical defenses against this deadly virus. This study assessed whether approach-versus-avoidance message framing and goal-orientation affect people's intentions to follow COVID-19 preventative procedures. N = 832 subjects were randomly assigned to view mitigation messaging with either approach or avoidance framing, and either self-protective or altruistic goal-orientation. We observed a significant effect of goal-orientation, such that altruistic (versus self-protective) goal-orientations in messaging lead to stronger intentions to follow mitigation procedures. No significant effect of approach or avoidance framing was found on intentions to follow mitigation procedures. These results suggest an immediate need to address the wording of our public health messages. Adjusting the framing of COVID-19 preventative communications to reflect altruistic goals might increase the effectiveness of communications to protect at-risk populations.

Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV Transmission: What Do We Know?

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-13
Author(s):  
Mpundu Makasa ◽  
◽  
Charles Michelo ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Hiv Transmission ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Mixed Infections ◽  
Infection Transmission ◽  
Sexually Transmitted

Sexually transmitted infections have remained a public health problem mainly in the developing world, where the burden of HIV is also high. Effects of sexually transmitted infections can be devastating and have also been shown to enhance transmission of HIV. The risk of transmission depends on the type of infection, whether it presents with an ulcer or it is it is only inflammatory. Mixed infections further increase the probability of HIV transmission, making the overall risk even higher. Understanding the dynamics of transmission is important. It is also essential to know which groupsof people are more at risk as this is fundamental in designing appropriate control interventions. This article gives an overview of sexually transmitted infections, and gives insight on their association with HIV infection, transmission risks and some control based interventions. In addition we also aimed to increase the understanding of where preventive and management gaps may still exist and in what contexts

scholarly journals Making Sense of Advice About Drinking During Pregnancy: Does Evidence Even Matter?

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-69
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Mitchell Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
Cdc Guidelines ◽  
Control And Prevention

ABSTRACTWomen have been told not to drink during pregnancy for decades; last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended that advice to all women who were at risk for experiencing a pregnancy. This commentary puts the recent CDC guidelines in historical perspective and considers the unintended consequences of public health messages that extend beyond what is supported by evidence.

scholarly journals Social, ethical and behavioural aspects of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wirichada Pan-ngum ◽  
Tassawan Poomchaichote ◽  
Giulia Cuman ◽  
Phee-Kheng Cheah ◽  
Naomi Waithira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Behavioural Aspects ◽  
Pharmaceutical Interventions

Introduction: Vaccines and drugs for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 require robust evidence generated from clinical trials before they can be used. Decisions on how to apply non-pharmaceutical interventions such as quarantine, self-isolation, social distancing and travel restrictions should also be based on evidence. There are some experiential and mathematical modelling data for these interventions, but there is a lack of data on the social, ethical and behavioural aspects of these interventions in the literature. Therefore, our study aims to produce evidence to inform (non-pharmaceutical) interventions such as communications, quarantine, self-isolation, social distancing, travel restrictions and other public health measures for the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study will be conducted in the United Kingdom, Italy, Malaysia, Slovenia and Thailand. We propose to conduct 600-1000 quantitative surveys and 25-35 qualitative interviews per country. Data collection will follow the following four themes: (1) Quarantine and self-isolation (2) social distancing and travel restrictions (3) wellbeing and mental health (4) information, misinformation and rumours. In light of limitations of travel and holding in-person meetings, we will primarily use online/remote methods for collecting data. Study participants will be adults who have provided informed consent from different demographic, socio-economic and risk groups. Discussion: At the time of the inception of the study, United Kingdom, Italy, Malaysia, Slovenia and Thailand have initiated strict public health measures and varying degrees of “lockdowns” to curb the pandemic. These public health measures will change in the coming weeks and months depending on the number of cases of COVID-19 in the respective countries. The data generated from our study could inform these strategies in real time.

A Qualitative Study Exploring Harmful Cultural Practices and HIV Stigma in North Central Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11
Author(s):  
Bala Augustine Nalah ◽  
Azlinda Azman ◽  
Paramjit Singh Jamir Singh
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Hiv Transmission ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Hiv Stigma ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
North Central ◽  
Harmful Cultural Practices

Harmful cultural practices have psychosocial implications on stigmatization and vulnerability to HIV infection among HIV positive living in North Central Nigeria. To understand this, we conducted qualitative interviews with purposively selected 20 diagnosed HIV positive to explore how culture influences stigmatization and HIV transmission. Data was collected using audio-recorder, transcribed, and analyzed through thematic analysis using ATLAS.ti8 software to code and analyze interview transcripts. The coded data were presented using thematic network analysis to visualize the theme, sub-themes, and quotations in a model. The findings reveal that lack of education was a significant determinant for the continual practice of harmful cultural rites, thereby increasing the risk of HIV infection and stigmatization. Hence, six cultural facilitators have been identified to include female genital mutilation, lack of education, tribal marks and scarification, postpartum sexual abstinence during breastfeeding, sexual intercourse during menstruation, and gender inequality, polygamy, and inheritance law. We conclude that educational teachings and advocacy campaigns be organized in rural schools and public places on the implications of harmful cultural practice to health and psychological well-being. We recommend that the social workers and behavioral scientists should collaborate with other agencies to employ a behavioral-based intervention in eliminating cultural practices and HIV stigma.

scholarly journals Challenges in evaluating the use of viral sequence data to identify HIV transmission networks for public health

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rami Kantor ◽  
John P. Fulton ◽  
Jon Steingrimsson ◽  
Vladimir Novitsky ◽  
Mark Howison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Hiv Transmission ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Viral Sequence ◽  
Transmission Networks ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Hiv Epidemic ◽  
The World

AbstractGreat efforts are devoted to end the HIV epidemic as it continues to have profound public health consequences in the United States and throughout the world, and new interventions and strategies are continuously needed. The use of HIV sequence data to infer transmission networks holds much promise to direct public heath interventions where they are most needed. As these new methods are being implemented, evaluating their benefits is essential. In this paper, we recognize challenges associated with such evaluation, and make the case that overcoming these challenges is key to the use of HIV sequence data in routine public health actions to disrupt HIV transmission networks.

scholarly journals Public perceptions of Lyme disease and climate change in southern Manitoba, Canada: making a case for strategic decoupling of climate and health messages

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Cameron ◽  
Rhéa Rocque ◽  
Kailey Penner ◽  
Ian Mauro
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Climate And Health

Abstract Background Despite scientific evidence that climate change has profound and far reaching implications for public health, translating this knowledge in a manner that supports citizen engagement, applied decision-making, and behavioural change can be challenging. This is especially true for complex vector-borne zoonotic diseases such as Lyme disease, a tick-borne disease which is increasing in range and impact across Canada and internationally in large part due to climate change. This exploratory research aims to better understand public risk perceptions of climate change and Lyme disease in order to increase engagement and motivate behavioural change. Methods A focus group study involving 61 participants was conducted in three communities in the Canadian Prairie province of Manitoba in 2019. Focus groups were segmented by urban, rural, and urban-rural geographies, and between participants with high and low levels of self-reported concern regarding climate change. Results Findings indicate a broad range of knowledge and risk perceptions on both climate change and Lyme disease, which seem to reflect the controversy and complexity of both issues in the larger public discourse. Participants in high climate concern groups were found to have greater climate change knowledge, higher perception of risk, and less skepticism than those in low concern groups. Participants outside of the urban centre were found to have more familiarity with ticks, Lyme disease, and preventative behaviours, identifying differential sources of resilience and vulnerability. Risk perceptions of climate change and Lyme disease were found to vary independently rather than correlate, meaning that high climate change risk perception did not necessarily indicate high Lyme disease risk perception and vice versa. Conclusions This research contributes to the growing literature framing climate change as a public health issue, and suggests that in certain cases climate and health messages might be framed in a way that strategically decouples the issue when addressing climate skeptical audiences. A model showing the potential relationship between Lyme disease and climate change perceptions is proposed, and implications for engagement on climate change health impacts are discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document