Browsing by Author "Cohen, Craig R."

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    Gendered dimensions of population mobility associated with HIV across three epidemics in rural Eastern Africa
    (Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 2008) Camlin, Carol S.; Akullian, Adam; Neilands, Torsten B.; Getahun, Monica; Bershteyn, Anna; Ssali, Sarah; Geng, Elvin; Gandhi, Monica; Cohen, Craig R.; Maeri, Irene; Eyul, Patrick; Petersen, Maya L.; Havlir, Diane V.; Kamya, Moses R.; Bukusi, Elizabeth A.; Charlebois, Edwin D.
    Mobility in sub-Saharan Africa links geographically-separate HIV epidemics, intensifies transmission by enabling higher-risk sexual behavior, and disrupts care. This population-based observational cohort study measured complex dimensions of mobility in rural Uganda and Kenya. Survey data were collected every 6 months beginning in 2016 from a random sample of 2308 adults in 12 communities across three regions, stratified by intervention arm, baseline residential stability and HIV status. Analyses were survey-weighted and stratified by sex, region, and HIV status. In this study, there were large differences in the forms and magnitude of mobility across regions, between men and women, and by HIV status. We found that adult migration varied widely by region, higher proportions of men than women migrated within the past one and five years, and men predominated across all but the most localized scales of migration: a higher proportion of women than men migrated within county of origin. Labor-related mobility was more common among men than women, while women were more likely to travel for non-labor reasons. Labor-related mobility was associated with HIV positive status for both men and women, adjusting for age and region, but the association was especially pronounced in women. The forms, drivers, and correlates of mobility in eastern Africa are complex and highly gendered. An in-depth understanding of mobility may help improve implementation and address gaps in the HIV prevention and care continua.
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    Population mobility associated with higher risk sexual behavior in eastern African communities participating in a Universal Testing and Treatment trial
    (Journal of the International AIDS Society, 2018) Camlin, Carol S.; Akullian, Adam; Neilands, Torsten B.; Getahun, Monica; Eyul, Patrick; Maeri, Irene; Ssali, Sarah; Geng, Elvin; Gandhi, Monica; Cohen, Craig R.; Kamya, Moses R.; Odeny, Thomas; Bukusi, Elizabeth A.; Charlebois, Edwin D.
    There are significant knowledge gaps concerning complex forms of mobility emergent in sub-Saharan Africa, their relationship to sexual behaviors, HIV transmission, and how sex modifies these associations. This study, within an ongoing test-and-treat trial (SEARCH, NCT01864603), sought to measure effects of diverse metrics of mobility on behaviors, with attention to gender. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected in 2016 from 1919 adults in 12 communities in Kenya and Uganda, to examine mobility (labor/non-labor-related travel), migration (changes of residence over geopolitical boundaries) and their associations with sexual behaviors (concurrent/higher risk partnerships), by region and sex. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models, stratified by sex and adjusted for clustering by community, were fitted to examine associations of mobility with higher risk behaviors, in past 2 years/past 6 months, controlling for key covariates.
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    Understanding Demand for PrEP and Early Experiences of PrEP Use Among Young Adults in Rural Kenya and Uganda: A Qualitative Study
    (AIDS and Behavior, 2020) Camlin, Carol S.; Koss, Catherine A.; Owino, Lawrence; Akatukwasa, Cecilia; Bakanoma, Robert; Onyango, Anjeline; Atwine, Frederick; Ayieko, James; Kabami, Jane; Mwangwa, Florence; Atukunda, Mucunguzi; Owaraganise, Asiphas; Kwarisiima, Dalsone; Bukusi, Elizabeth A.; Kamya, Moses R.; Maya, L. Petersen; Cohen, Craig R.; Charlebois, Edwin D.; Havlir, Diane V.
    Few studies have sought to understand factors influencing uptake and continuation of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among young adults in sub-Saharan Africa in the context of population-based delivery of open-label PrEP. To address this gap, this qualitative study was implemented within the SEARCH study (NCT#01864603) in Kenya and Uganda, which achieved near-universal HIV testing, and offered PrEP in 16 intervention communities beginning in 2016–2017. Focus group discussions (8 groups, n = 88 participants) and in-depth interviews (n = 23) with young adults who initiated or declined PrEP were conducted in five communities, to explore PrEP-related beliefs and attitudes, HIV risk perceptions, motivations for uptake and continuation, and experiences. Grounded theoretical methods were used to analyze data. Young people felt personally vulnerable to HIV, but perceived the severity of HIV to be low, due to the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART): daily pill-taking was more threatening than the disease itself. Motivations for PrEP were highly gendered: young men viewed PrEP as a vehicle for safely pursuing multiple partners, while young women saw PrEP as a means to control risks in the context of engagement in transactional sex and limited agency to negotiate condom use and partner testing. Rumors, HIV/ART-related stigma, and desire for “proof” of efficacy militated against uptake, and many women required partners’ permission to take PrEP. Uptake was motivated by high perceived HIV risk, and beliefs that PrEP use supported life goals. PrEP was often discontinued due to dissolution of partnerships/changing risk, unsupportive partners/peers, or early side effects/pill burden. Despite high perceived risks and interest, PrEP was received with moral ambivalence because of its associations with HIV/ART and stigmatized behaviors. Delivery models that promote youth access, frame messaging on wellness and goals, and foster partner and peer support, may facilitate uptake among young people.