Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Preparing To Break Barriers: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perceptions Of Hiv, Prep, And Hiv Risk Behaviors Among Women Of Color In Miami, Florida, Amanda C. Ichite

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. HIV epidemic is characterized by regional, racial, and ethnic disparities. HIV rates are disproportionately higher in the South and Black and Hispanic populations are most impacted. Moreover, the intersectional identity of being a Black or Hispanic woman living in the South has been associated with profound disparities in HIV impact. Prior to the advent of the biomedical HIV prevention tool pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in 2012, women were limited in their options for female-controlled HIV prevention strategies. Despite the proven efficacy of PrEP, utilization in women is significantly lower than other at-risk groups. In the present study, secondary analysis …

The Impact Of Hiv-Related Stigma On The Racial/Ethnic Disparities Across The Hiv Care Continuum Among Adults Living With Hiv In Florida, Derrick James Forney

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Florida currently has one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the U.S. As of 2019, Black and Hispanic HIV-positive individuals in Florida were significantly less likely to receive HIV care, remain in care, and achieve viral suppression than white HIV-positive individuals. Several studies have linked HIV-related stigma to poor outcomes among people living with HIV (PLWH). This study examined the impact of distinct HIV-related stigma subtypes on linkage to care, retention in care, and viral suppression among PLWH in Florida and if these associations differed across race/ethnicity.

Methods: Data from the 2015-2017 Florida Medical Monitoring Project …

Theory Of Gender And Power: Intimate Partner Violence, Hiv Status And Sexual Risk Behaviors In Haitian Women, Anshul Saxena

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Among women in Haiti, there are a number of factors, including intimate partner violence (IPV), childhood sexual abuse, and alcohol abuse that lead to increased vulnerability to STI/HIV and its sequelae. This study examined the factors associated with IPV and the associations between IPV and HIV in a sample of adult Haitian women.

The current study is a secondary analysis of data collected from HIV+ and HIV- women attending the GHESKIO centers in Haiti. The measures include: Self-reported Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20); Attitudes Towards Gender Roles; Partner Violence; Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); Partner Support; Sexual Relationship Power Scale (SRPS); Centers …

Strategic Communications To Prevent Hiv Infections Among Black And Hispanic Young Adults, Elena Sebekos

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disparities in HIV disease continue to adversely affect Black and Hispanic populations in the United States. Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 in Broward County, Florida, used strategic communications to alert Black and Hispanic young adults of the serious threat and the choices they could make to prevent HIV infection. This study assessed the channels through which 18-39 year-old African American, Haitian, Afro-Caribbean, and Hispanic residents of 12 high AIDS-incidence ZIP-code areas obtained information about HIV/AIDS and which sources they found most helpful. In addition, this study examined how obtaining HIV/AIDS information was associated with histories of …

The Influence Of Gene Environment Interaction On The Risk Of Cognitive Impairment: Reducing Sexual Risk Behaviors And Alcohol Use In Hiv-Infected Adults, Karina Villalba Phd

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Memory deficits and executive dysfunction are highly prevalent among HIV-infected adults. These conditions can affect their quality of life, antiretroviral adherence, and HIV risk behaviors. Several factors have been suggested including the role of genetics in relation to HIV disease progression. This dissertation aimed to determine whether genetic differences in HIV-infected individuals were correlated with impaired memory, cognitive flexibility and executive function and whether cognitive decline moderated alcohol use and sexual transmission risk behaviors among HIV-infected alcohol abusers participating in an NIH-funded clinical trial comparing the efficacy of the adapted Holistic Health Recovery Program (HHRP-A) intervention to a Health Promotion …

The Influence Of Neurocognitive Impairment, Alcohol And Other Drug (Aod) Use, And Psychosocial Factors On Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence, Service Utilization And Viral Load Among Hiv-Seropositive Adults, Jennifer Attonito

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Among people living with HIV (PLWH), adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) can be affected by problems of neurocognitive (NC) impairment, stress, alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse, and other barriers. The aims of this research were to: (1) examine factors associated with NC impairment, (2) explore relationships between psychosocial variables with ART adherence and viral load (VL), and (3) evaluate the efficacy of an evidence-based intervention in improving ART adherence, increasing service utilization, and decreasing VL.

The first study (n=370) was cross sectional and used structural equation modeling to test whether AOD use, years living with HIV, and time from …