The role of perceived health in retention disparity: A HIV-testing-related behavioral intervention among African American and Latinx men who have sex with men in the United States

Nathan Tran; Akihiro Nishi; Lindsay E. Young; Akira Endo; William G. Cumberland; Sean D. Young

Preventive Medicine Reports (Jun 2023)

The role of perceived health in retention disparity: A HIV-testing-related behavioral intervention among African American and Latinx men who have sex with men in the United States

Nathan Tran,
Akihiro Nishi,
Lindsay E. Young,
Akira Endo,
William G. Cumberland,
Sean D. Young

Affiliations

Nathan Tran: Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Akihiro Nishi: Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Corresponding authors at: Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, 650 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (A. Nishi); Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine, 6091 Bren Hall, CA 92617 (S.D. Young).
Lindsay E. Young: Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Akira Endo: Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom; School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
William G. Cumberland: Department of Biostatistics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Sean D. Young: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Corresponding authors at: Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, 650 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (A. Nishi); Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine, 6091 Bren Hall, CA 92617 (S.D. Young).

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 33
p. 102195

Abstract

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Retention in healthcare and health behavior remains a critical issue, contributing to inequitable distribution of intervention benefits. In diseases such as HIV, where half of the new infections occur among racial and sexual minorities, it is important that interventions do not enlarge pre-existing health disparities. To effectively combat this public health issue, it is crucial that we quantify the magnitude of racial/ethnic disparity in retention. Further, there is a need to identify mediating factors to this relationship to inform equitable intervention design. In the present study, we assess the racial/ethnic disparity in retention in a peer-led online behavioral intervention to increase HIV self-testing behavior and identify explanatory factors. The research used data collected from the Harnessing Online Peer Education (HOPE) HIV Study that included 899 primarily African American and Latinx men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. Results show that African American participants had higher lost-to-follow-up rates at 12-week follow-up compared to Latinx participants (11.1% and 5.8% respectively, Odds Ratio = 2.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.12 – 4.11, p = 0.02), which is substantially mediated by participants’ self-rated health score (14.1% of the variation in the African American v.s. Latinx difference in lost-follow-up, p = 0.006). Thus, how MSM perceive their health may play an important role in their retention in HIV-related behavioral intervention programs and its racial/ethnic disparity.

Published in Preventive Medicine Reports

ISSN: 2211-3355 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/preventive-medicine-reports/

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