3
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Project YES! Youth Engaging for Success: A randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of a clinic-based peer mentoring program on viral suppression, adherence and internalized stigma among HIV-positive youth (15-24 years) in Ndola, Zambia

      research-article

      Read this article at

      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Background

          Youth-led strategies remain untested in clinic-based programs to improve viral suppression (VS) and reduce stigma among HIV-positive adolescents and young adults (AYA) in sub-Saharan Africa. In response, Project YES! placed paid HIV-positive youth peer mentors (YPM) in four HIV clinics in Ndola, Zambia including a Children’s Hospital (pediatric setting), an adult Hospital and two primary care facilities (adult settings).

          Methods

          A randomized controlled trial was conducted from December 2017 to February 2019. Consecutively recruited 15 to 24-year-olds were randomly assigned to an intervention arm with monthly YPM one-on-one and group sessions and optional caregiver support groups, or a usual care comparison arm. Survey data and blood samples were collected at baseline and at the six-month midline. Generalized estimating equation models evaluated the effect of study arm over time on VS, antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence gap, and internalized stigma.

          Results

          Out of 276 randomized youth, 273 were included in the analysis (Intervention n = 137, Comparison n = 136). VS significantly improved in both arms (I:63.5% to 73.0%; C:63.7% to 71.3.0%) [OR:1.49, 95% CI:1.08, 2.07]. In a stratified analysis intervention (I:37.5% to 70.5%) versus the comparison (C:60.3% to 59.4%) participants from the pediatric clinic experienced a relative increase in the odds of VS by a factor of 4.7 [interaction term OR:4.66, 95% CI:1.84, 11.78]. There was no evidence of a study arm difference in VS among AYA in adult clinics, or in ART adherence gaps across clinics. Internalized stigma significantly reduced by a factor of 0.39 [interaction term OR:0.39, 95% CI:0.21,0.73] in the intervention (50.4% to 25.4%) relative to the comparison arm (45.2% to 39.7%)

          Conclusions

          Project YES! engaged AYA, improving VS in the pediatric clinic and internalized stigma in the pediatric and adult clinics. Further research is needed to understand the intersection of VS and internalized stigma among AYA attending adult HIV clinics.

          Trial registration

          ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04115813.

          Related collections

          Most cited references28

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: found
          • Article: not found

          Antiretroviral therapy adherence, virologic and immunologic outcomes in adolescents compared with adults in southern Africa.

          To determine adherence to and effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in adolescents vs. adults in southern Africa. Observational cohort study. Aid for AIDS, a private sector disease management program in southern Africa. Adolescents (age 11-19 years; n = 154) and adults (n = 7622) initiating ART between 1999 and 2006 and having a viral load measurement within 1 year after ART initiation. Primary: virologic suppression (HIV viral load < or = 400 copies/mL), viral rebound, and CD4 T-cell count at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after ART initiation. Secondary: adherence assessed by pharmacy refills at 6, 12, and 24 months. Multivariate analyses: loglinear regression and Cox proportional hazards. A significantly smaller proportion of adolescents achieved 100% adherence at each time point (adolescents: 20.7% at 6 months, 14.3% at 12 months, and 6.6% at 24 months; adults: 40.5%, 27.9%, and 20.6% at each time point, respectively; P < 0.01). Patients achieving 100% 12-month adherence were significantly more likely to exhibit virologic suppression at 12 months, regardless of age. However, adolescents achieving virologic suppression had significantly shorter time to viral rebound (adjusted hazard ratio 2.03; 95% confidence interval: 1.31 to 3.13; P < 0.003). Adolescents were less likely to experience long-term immunologic recovery despite initial CD4 T-cell counts comparable to adults. Compared with adults, adolescents in southern Africa are less adherent to ART and have lower rates of virologic suppression and immunologic recovery and a higher rate of virologic rebound after initial suppression. Studies must determine specific barriers to adherence in this population and develop appropriate interventions.
            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: not found

            Measuring AIDS stigmas in people living with HIV/AIDS: the Internalized AIDS-Related Stigma Scale.

            AIDS stigmas create significant barriers to HIV prevention, testing, and care and can become internalized by people living with HIV/AIDS. We developed a psychometric scale to measure internalized AIDS-related stigmas among people infected with HIV. Items were adapted from a psychometrically sound test of AIDS-related stigmas in the general population. Six items reflecting self-defacing beliefs and negative perceptions of people living with HIV/AIDS were responded to dichotomously, Agree/Disagree. Data collected from people living with HIV/AIDS in Cape Town South Africa (n=1068), Swaziland (n=1090), and Atlanta US (n=239) showed that the internalized AIDS Stigma Scale was internally consistent (overall alpha coefficient=0.75) and time stable (r=0.53). We also found evidence in support of the scale's convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity. The Internalized AIDS-Related Stigma Scale appears reliable and valid and may be useful for research and evaluation with HIV-positive populations across southern African and North American cultures.
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: found
              • Article: found
              Is Open Access

              Factors Associated with Virological Failure and Suppression after Enhanced Adherence Counselling, in Children, Adolescents and Adults on Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV in Swaziland

              Introduction This study explores factors associated with virological detectability, and viral re-suppression after enhanced adherence counselling, in adults and children on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Swaziland. Methods This descriptive study used laboratory data from 7/5/2012 to 30/9/2013, which were linked with the national ART database to provide information on time on ART and CD4 count; information on enhanced adherence counselling was obtained from file review in health facilities. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between viral load, gender, age, time on ART, CD4 count and receiving (or not receiving) enhanced adherence counselling. Results From 12,063 patients undergoing routine viral load monitoring, 1941 (16%) had detectable viral loads. Children were more likely to have detectable viral loads (AOR 2.6, 95%CI 1.5–4.5), as were adolescents (AOR 3.2, 95%CI 2.2–4.8), patients with last CD4 1000 copies/ml (AOR 0.3, 95%CI 0.1–0.7), and those with last CD4<350 cells/µl (AOR 0.4, 95%CI 0.2–0.7). Receiving (or not receiving) enhanced adherence counselling was not associated with likelihood of re-suppression. Conclusions Children, adolescents and those with advanced disease were most likely to have high viral loads and least likely to achieve viral suppression at retesting; receiving adherence counselling was not associated with higher likelihood of viral suppression. Although the level of viral resistance was not quantified, this study suggests the need for ART treatment support that addresses the adherence problems of younger people; and to define the elements of optimal enhanced adherence support for patients of all ages with detectable viral loads.
                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: ConceptualizationRole: Funding acquisitionRole: Writing – original draftRole: Writing – review & editing
                Role: Data curationRole: Formal analysisRole: Writing – review & editing
                Role: Writing – review & editing
                Role: Formal analysisRole: Writing – original draftRole: Writing – review & editing
                Role: Data curationRole: Writing – review & editing
                Role: Writing – review & editing
                Role: Data curationRole: Writing – review & editing
                Role: Writing – review & editing
                Role: Editor
                Journal
                PLoS One
                PLoS ONE
                plos
                plosone
                PLoS ONE
                Public Library of Science (San Francisco, CA USA )
                1932-6203
                2 April 2020
                2020
                : 15
                : 4
                : e0230703
                Affiliations
                [1 ] Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
                [2 ] Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital, Ndola, Zambia
                International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, UNITED STATES
                Author notes

                Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

                Author information
                http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4670-093X
                Article
                PONE-D-19-25046
                10.1371/journal.pone.0230703
                7117673
                32240186
                550108c9-1120-41f7-b76d-a1505ceffa6a
                © 2020 Denison et al

                This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

                History
                : 4 October 2019
                : 21 February 2020
                Page count
                Figures: 6, Tables: 2, Pages: 19
                Funding
                Funded by: funder-id http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100009054, U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief;
                Award ID: AID-OAA-140060
                This work was supported by Project SOAR (Cooperative agreement AID-OAA-140060), made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this paper are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of PEPFAR, USAID, or the United States Government. This research has also been facilitated by the infrastructure and resources provided by the Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research, an NIH funded program (P30AI094189), which is supported by the following NIH Co-Funding and Participating Institutes and Centers: NIAID, NCI, NICHD, NHLBI, NIDA, NIMH, NIA, FIC, NIGMS, NIDDK, and OAR. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
                Categories
                Research Article
                Biology and Life Sciences
                Microbiology
                Medical Microbiology
                Microbial Pathogens
                Viral Pathogens
                Immunodeficiency Viruses
                HIV
                Medicine and Health Sciences
                Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
                Pathogens
                Microbial Pathogens
                Viral Pathogens
                Immunodeficiency Viruses
                HIV
                Biology and Life Sciences
                Organisms
                Viruses
                Viral Pathogens
                Immunodeficiency Viruses
                HIV
                Biology and Life Sciences
                Organisms
                Viruses
                Immunodeficiency Viruses
                HIV
                Biology and life sciences
                Organisms
                Viruses
                RNA viruses
                Retroviruses
                Lentivirus
                HIV
                Biology and Life Sciences
                Microbiology
                Medical Microbiology
                Microbial Pathogens
                Viral Pathogens
                Retroviruses
                Lentivirus
                HIV
                Medicine and Health Sciences
                Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
                Pathogens
                Microbial Pathogens
                Viral Pathogens
                Retroviruses
                Lentivirus
                HIV
                Biology and Life Sciences
                Organisms
                Viruses
                Viral Pathogens
                Retroviruses
                Lentivirus
                HIV
                Medicine and Health Sciences
                Pediatrics
                People and Places
                Population Groupings
                Age Groups
                Children
                Adolescents
                People and Places
                Population Groupings
                Families
                Children
                Adolescents
                Biology and Life Sciences
                Microbiology
                Virology
                Viral Transmission and Infection
                Viral Load
                People and Places
                Geographical Locations
                Africa
                Zambia
                People and Places
                Population Groupings
                Age Groups
                Young Adults
                Biology and Life Sciences
                Immunology
                Vaccination and Immunization
                Antiviral Therapy
                Antiretroviral Therapy
                Medicine and Health Sciences
                Immunology
                Vaccination and Immunization
                Antiviral Therapy
                Antiretroviral Therapy
                Medicine and Health Sciences
                Public and Occupational Health
                Preventive Medicine
                Vaccination and Immunization
                Antiviral Therapy
                Antiretroviral Therapy
                Medicine and Health Sciences
                Clinical Medicine
                Clinical Trials
                Randomized Controlled Trials
                Medicine and Health Sciences
                Pharmacology
                Drug Research and Development
                Clinical Trials
                Randomized Controlled Trials
                Research and Analysis Methods
                Clinical Trials
                Randomized Controlled Trials
                Custom metadata
                Data are available under Project SOAR's subsection of the Harvard Dataverse: https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataverse/projectsoar.

                Uncategorized
                Uncategorized

                Comments

                Comment on this article