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Seizing opportunities for intervention: Changing HIV-related knowledge among men who have sex with men and transgender women attending trusted community centers in Nigeria
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Background Knowledge of HIV risk factors and reduction strategies is essential for prevention in key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). We evaluated factors associated with HIV-related knowledge among MSM and TGW and the impact of engagement in care at trusted community health centers in Nigeria. Methods The TRUST/RV368 cohort recruited MSM and TGW in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria via respondent driven sampling. During study visits every three months, participants underwent structured interviews to collect behavioral data, received HIV education, and were provided free condoms and condom compatible lubricants. Five HIV-related knowledge questions were asked at enrollment and repeated after 9 and 15 months. The mean number of correct responses was calculated for each visit with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Multivariable Poisson regression was used to calculate adjusted risk ratios and CIs for factors associated with answering more knowledge questions correctly. Results From March 2013 to April 2018, 2122 persons assigned male sex at birth were enrolled, including 234 TGW (11.2%). The mean number of correct responses at enrollment was 2.36 (95% CI: 2.31–2.41) and increased to 2.95 (95% CI: 2.86–3.04) and 3.06 (95% CI: 2.97–3.16) after 9 and 15 months in the study, respectively. Among 534 participants who completed all three HIV-related knowledge assessments, mean number of correct responses rose from 2.70 (95% CI: 2.60–2.80) to 3.02 (95% CI: 2.93–3.13) and then 3.06 (95% CI: 2.96–3.16). Factors associated with increased overall HIV-related knowledge included longer duration of study participation, HIV seropositivity, higher education level, and more frequent internet use. Conclusions There was suboptimal HIV-related knowledge among Nigerian MSM and TGW at that improved modestly with engagement in care. These data demonstrate unmet HIV education needs among Nigerian MSM and TGW and provide insights into modalities that could be used to address these needs.
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MPRC People
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Hongjie Liu, Ph.D.
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Hongjie Liu Publications
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Monica Das Gupta quoted in LiveMint on India's Lagged Public Health System
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Decades of neglect have left India’s public health system with a very weak arsenal to fight and eliminate contagious diseases
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Liana Sayer featured in WFMJ News on Parenting under Coronavirus Impact
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The closings and quarantines prompted by the coronavirus outbreak have given some families more time together.
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Marian Moser Jones featured in The Conversation on State Emergency facing COVID-19
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Following Donald Trump’s declaration of a federal state of emergency, every state had also declared a state of emergency over COVID-19.
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Marian Moser Jones featured in FiveThirtyEight on how COVID-19 can affect political campaigns in U.S.
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Presidential campaign may be severely affected with the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the public life in different ways, but history shows U.S. can manage the election during rough times
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Katharine Abraham featured in The New York Times on Coronavirus Depression
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The U.S. government is trying to build, at great speed, a three-legged stool to prevent long-lasting economic depression from the Coronavirus outbreak
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Association Between First Depressive Episode in the Same Year as Sexual Debut and Teenage Pregnancy
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Purpose This study aimed to examine whether the timing of depression onset relative to age at sexual debut is associated with teenage pregnancy. Methods Using data from 1,025 adolescent girls who reported having had sex in the National Comorbidity Survey—Adolescent Supplement, we applied cox proportional hazards models to test whether depression onset before first sex, at the same age as first sex, or after first sex compared with no depression onset was associated with experiencing a first teenage pregnancy. We examined the unadjusted risk by depression status as well as risk adjusted for adolescents' race/ethnicity, marital status, poverty level, whether the adolescent lived in a metropolitan area, living status, age at first sex, parental education, and age of mother when the adolescent was born. Results In both unadjusted and adjusted models, we found that adolescents with depression onset at the same age as having initiated sex were at an increased risk of experiencing a teenage pregnancy (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08–5.96; adjusted HR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.15–6.34) compared with those with no depression onset. Moreover, compared with those with no depression onset, the risk of pregnancy for girls experiencing depression onset before first sex also increased but was not significant (adjusted HR = 1.5, 95% CI: .82–2.76). Conclusions Timing of first depressive episode relative to age at first sexual intercourse plays a critical role in determining the risk of teenage pregnancy. Timely diagnosis and treatment of depression may not only help adolescents' mental well-being but may also help them prevent teenage pregnancy.
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MPRC People
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Julia Steinberg, Ph.D.
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Julia Steinberg Publications
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MPRC Associates lead COVID-19 pilot study
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University of Maryland Seed Grant funds research into COVID-19 social impacts
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Sacoby Wilson featured in Gizmodo on Health Equity amid the COVID-19 Outbreak
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Health experts had suspected the coronavirus pandemic would kill more people in areas where there’s higher air pollution. Now, they have preliminary data to back it up.
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Sacoby Wilson comments on Social Factors of COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Prince Georgian's Health on Capital Gazette
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In Maryland and across the nation, black people are becoming ill and dying at disproportionate rates because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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