Social Network Strategy improves access to HIV testing and harm reduction programs for PWID and their partners in Kazakhstan

Denisiuk, Olga; Smyrnov, Pavlo; Batyrbekova, Ainura; Dudnik, Roman; Denebayeva, Alfiya; Zhandybayeva, Ainur; Kuznetsova, Yulia V.; Tetyana, Deshko

doi:10.3855/jidc.16611

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 18 publications

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“…Other studies in international settings show rates of previous HIV testing to be between 33 and 87.7% (12,15,17,(29)(30)(31). Previous international literature shows that the diverse social and cultural settings, HIV-related stigma and discrimination and civil unrest, are all likely to have a negative impact on access to HIV testing services and therefore on subsequent HIV testing (32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life-time HIV testing among people who inject drugs in Iran: results from the National Rapid Assessment and Response survey

Roshanfekr,

Karimi,

Narouee

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundHIV testing is recommended for people who inject drugs (PWID). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of lifetime HIV testing among PWID and to better understand the predictors for HIV testing in a convenience sample across Iran.Materials and methodsThis study is a secondary analysis of Iran’s National Rapid Assessment and Response survey conducted between October 2016 and March 2017. Analysis includes the 999 people who reported injecting drugs across the capital cities of 21 provinces. Data were collected by using the venue-based application of the Time Location Sampling (TLS) frame. Chi-square tests were used to examine the difference between HIV testing across different quantitative variables. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of life-time HIV testing. Analysis was performed using STATA V.12 software with a significance level of 95%.ResultsMost participants were male (n = 902, 93.50%), and over half (n = 555, 59.17%) were older than 35 years old. About one-third, (n = 326, 38%) of people interviewed were single and another one-third (n = 251, 29%) reported being divorced. Over two-thirds of participants (n = 678, 69.78%) in this study reported lifetime HIV testing. The results from a multiple variable logistic regression showed people with a university education were more likely to have been previously tested for HIV than illiterate people (OR = 18.87, 95%CI 2.85–124.6, value of p = 0.002). Those individuals who reported ever receiving methadone treatment were 2.8 times more likely to have been tested for HIV than individuals without methadone treatment experience (OR = 2.89, 95%CI 1.53–5.42, value of p < 0.001). Needle syringe sharing in last month, was negatively associated with life-time HIV testing (OR = 0.29, 95%CI 0.17–0.48, value of p < 0.001).ConclusionDespite Iran’s wide availability and access to counseling services for HIV testing in key populations, the proportion of PWID being tested for HIV could be improved. Developing effective strategies to increase people’s understanding and awareness of the importance of and need for HIV prevention and familiarity with HIV testing sites is an essential step in increasing HIV testing for this population. Studies on more recent HIV testing are required to better assess and understand the frequency of HIV testing among PWID in Iran.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life-time HIV testing among people who inject drugs in Iran: results from the National Rapid Assessment and Response survey

Roshanfekr,

Karimi,

Narouee

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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Linkage to care and prevention after HIV self‐testing: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Zhang,

Goh,

Tapa

et al. 2024

J Int AIDS Soc.

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IntroductionEffective linkage to prevention and care is a crucial step following HIV testing services. This systematic review aimed to determine the proportion of individuals linked to prevention and care after HIV self‐testing (HIVST) and describe factors associated with linkage.MethodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search across eight databases (2010–October 2023) identified studies on linkage to care after HIVST, defined as receiving a confirmatory test or initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) if the self‐test was reactive, and/or pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) if the self‐test was non‐reactive. A random‐effects meta‐analysis summarized the findings and meta‐regression explored study‐level covariates, such as world region, population type and service delivery model, that might explain the between‐study heterogeneity.ResultsFrom 10,071 screened studies, 173 were included in the meta‐analysis. The majority of studies focused on key populations in Africa using unassisted, oral fluid‐based HIVST kits. Among those with reactive HIVST results, 92% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 88–95) were linked to confirmatory testing (n = 124 studies), and 89% (95% CI: 84–93) of newly diagnosed individuals initiated ART (n = 88 studies). Overall, 84% (95% CI: 74–93) of self‐testers were linked to care (n = 69 studies). However, only 9% (95% CI: 2–19) of individuals with non‐reactive HIVST results were linked to PrEP services (n = 9 studies). Assisted HIVST was associated with higher linkage rates to confirmatory testing and ART initiation compared to unassisted testing. Meta‐regression revealed that the type of delivery model for the HIVST kits influenced linkage and that individuals who obtained their HIVST kits through a social network‐based approach (SNA) were more likely to be linked to confirmatory testing (adjusted odds ratio = 1.28 [95% CI: 1.10–1.50], p = 0.001) compared to non‐SNA service delivery model.DiscussionIn the context of expanding HIVST services globally, we found that linkage to confirmatory testing and ART initiation after HIVST is generally high, particularly when assisted HIVST or SNA‐based distribution is used.ConclusionsStrengthening timely linkage is vital for improving health outcomes, reducing HIV transmission and achieving the UNAIDS 95‐95‐95 goal. Ongoing research and collaboration with community‐based organizations are needed to overcoming barriers and ensuring positive outcomes for those using HIVST.PROSPERO NumberCRD42022357570.

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Social network strategy (SNS) for HIV testing: a new approach for identifying individuals with undiagnosed HIV infection in Tanzania

Rwabiyago,

Katale,

Bingham

et al. 2024

AIDS Care

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Social Network Strategy improves access to HIV testing and harm reduction programs for PWID and their partners in Kazakhstan

Cited by 3 publications

References 18 publications

Life-time HIV testing among people who inject drugs in Iran: results from the National Rapid Assessment and Response survey

Life-time HIV testing among people who inject drugs in Iran: results from the National Rapid Assessment and Response survey

Linkage to care and prevention after HIV self‐testing: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Social network strategy (SNS) for HIV testing: a new approach for identifying individuals with undiagnosed HIV infection in Tanzania

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