The study aim was to identify covariates of smoking status and readiness to quit that encompassed key sociodemographic and health status variables, health-related quality of life, drug use and unprotected sex, and tobacco use variables in a cohort of low-income persons living with HIV. We also examined the impact of HIV diagnosis on smoking cessation. The sample (N = 428) was mostly male (59%) and Black (53%) or Hispanic (30%), and had a high school education or less (87%). Mean age was 40 years. Two-thirds of participants were current smokers, 19% former smokers, and 16% never smokers. Current smokers smoked a mean of 16 cigarettes/day for 22 years; 42% were in the precontemplation stage of readiness to quit smoking, 40% were contemplators, and 18% were in preparation. Most current smokers (81%) reported receiving medical advice to quit smoking. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that current smokers, compared with former smokers, were more likely to use illicit drugs, perceive a lower health risk for continued smoking, and report less pain. Current smokers, compared with nonsmokers (former and never smokers), were more likely to report greater illicit drug use in their lifetime, current illicit drug use, and less pain. A multiple linear regression indicated that greater current illicit drug use, greater emotional distress, and a lower number of quit attempts were associated with lower stage of readiness to quit smoking. These findings confirm a high prevalence of smoking among HIV-infected persons and suggest a complex interplay among drug use, pain, and emotional distress that impact smoking status and, among smokers, readiness to quit. Tobacco control programs for HIV-infected persons should build motivation to quit smoking and address salient barriers to cessation--such as comorbid drug use, emotional distress, pain, and access to and coverage for treatment--and should educate smokers regarding the HIV-specific health benefits of cessation.

The measurement of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is critically important for the identification and treatment of this disorder. The PTSD Checklist (PCL; F. W. Weathers and J. Ford, 1996) is a self-report measure that is increasingly used. In this study, the authors investigated the factorial validity of the PCL with data from 236 cancer survivors who received a bone marrow or stem cell transplantation. The authors examined the fit of these data with the clinical model of 3 symptom clusters for PTSD, as proposed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and alternative models tested in prior research. By using confirmatory factor analysis the authors found that a 4-first-order-factor model of PTSD provided the best fit. The relations of PTSD symptoms with sociodemographic and medical variables were also explored.

Background Engagement in HIV care helps to maximize viral suppression, which, in turn, reduces morbidity and mortality and prevents further HIV transmission. With more HIV cases than any other US city, New York City reported in 2012 that only 41% of all persons estimated to be living with HIV (PLWH) had a suppressed viral load, while nearly three-quarters of those in clinical care achieved viral suppression. Thus, retaining PLWH in HIV care addresses this central goal of both the US National HIV/AIDS Strategy and Governor Cuomo's plan to end the AIDS epidemic in New York State. Methods We conducted 80 in-depth qualitative interviews with PLWH in four NYC populations that were identified as being inconsistently engaged in HIV medical care: African immigrants, previously incarcerated adults, transgender women, and young men who have sex with men. Results Barriers to and facilitators of HIV care engagement fell into three domains: (1) system factors (e.g., patient-provider relationship, social service agencies, transitions between penal system and community); (2) social factors (e.g., family and other social support; stigma related to HIV, substance use, sexual orientation, gender identity, and incarceration); and (3) individual factors (e.g., mental illness, substance use, resilience). Similarities and differences in these themes across the four populations as well as research and public health implications were identified. Conclusions Engagement in care is maximized when the social challenges confronted by vulnerable groups are addressed; patient-provider communication is strong; and coordinated services are available, including housing, mental health and substance use treatment, and peer navigation.

MAIN RESULTS:Six percent of study participants were homeless, 24.5% were "doubled-up," and 69.5% were stably housed. Compared with the stably housed, doubled-up and homeless participants were less likely to be seeing a physician regularly ( P ‫؍‬ .0001), and if seeing a physician, they were likely to have been doing so for a significantly shorter time ( P ‫؍‬ .02). The homeless were also less likely than either stably housed or doubled-up individuals to see the same physician or group of physicians at each ambulatory visit ( P ‫؍‬ .007). In addition, a higher proportion of the homeless had made one or more hospital visits over the prior 3 months than the nonhomeless. After multivariate adjustment, doubled-up participants were found to make more emergency room visits, the homeless were less likely to be taking prophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, and both the doubled-up and the homeless were shown to use slightly more outpatient care than the stably housed. CONCLUSION:Our study documents differences in health care utilization patterns across stably housed, doubled-up, and homeless HIV-infected persons after controlling for health insurance coverage. These differences, especially those pertaining to outpatient services, suggest that the unstably housed may be receiving less adequate health care than the stably housed, and hence may be more likely to experience adverse clinical outcomes.

One in five people living with HIV are unaware of their status; they account for an estimated 51% of new infections. HIV transmission can be reduced through a “Test and Treat” strategy, which can decrease both viral load and risk behaviors. However, linkage of newly diagnosed HIV positive persons to care has proved challenging. We report quantitative and qualitative data on linkage to care from HIV testing sites that partnered with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to implement “The Bronx Knows”, (TBK) an initiative that tested 607,570 residents over 3 years. During TBK, partner agencies reported the aggregate number of HIV tests conducted, the number of confirmed positives (overall and new), and the number of confirmed positives linked to medical care. We conducted qualitative interviews with directors of 24/30 TBK HIV testing agencies to identify linkage barriers and selected 9 for case studies. Barriers to linkage fell into 3 domains: (1) health care system factors (long wait for provider appointments; requirement of a positive confirmatory test before scheduling an appointment; system navigation; disrespectful to patients); (2) social factors (HIV stigma); and (3) characteristics of risk populations (e.g., mental illness, homelessness, substance use, immigrant). Best practices for linkage included networking among community organizations, individualized care plans, team approach, comprehensive and coordinated care services, and patient peer navigation. Research and public health implications are discussed.

Given the current status of HIV infection in youth in India, developing and implementing HIV education and prevention interventions is critical. The goal for School-based Teenage Education Program (STEP) was to demonstrate that a HIV/AIDS and alcohol abuse educational program built with specific cultural, linguistic, and community-specific characteristics could be effective. Utilizing the Train-the-Trainer model, the instructors (17-21 years) were trained to present the 10 session manualized program to primarily rural and tribal youth aged 13-16 years in 23 schools (N = 1,421) in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh in India. The intervention had a greater impact on girls; girls evidenced greater communication skills and a trend towards greater self efficacy and reduced risk taking behavior. The STEP has been successfully adapted by the community organizations that were involved in coordinating the program at the local level. Their intention to continue STEP beyond extra funding shows that utilizing the local community in designing, implementing and evaluating programs promotes ownership and sustainability.

Background: Patient perceptions of and satisfaction with care have become important indicators of the quality of services and the relationship of services to treatment outcomes. However, assessment of these indicators continues to be plagued by measurement problems, particularly the lack of variance in satisfaction data. In this article, we present a new approach to better capture patient perceptions of experiences in care, the Dynamics of Care (DoC) assessment. It is an in-depth approach to defining and assessing patients' perspectives at different junctures in care, including their decisions about whether and where to seek care, the barriers encountered, and the treatments and services received.

In this study of adolescents who already have primary care providers and are seemingly well-connected to the health care system, there remained significant reported barriers to accessing necessary health services.