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[Preprint]. 2020 Aug 12:rs.3.rs-57507.
doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-57507/v1.

A rapid qualitative assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a racially/ethnically diverse sample of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living with HIV in the US South

Scott D Rhodes  1 , Lilli Mann-Jackson  1 , Jorge Alonzo  1 , Manuel Garcia  1 , Amanda E Tanner  2 , Benjamin D Smart  1 , Danielle N Horridge  1 , Cornelius N Van Dam  3 , Aimee M Wilkin  1
Affiliations

A rapid qualitative assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a racially/ethnically diverse sample of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living with HIV in the US South

Scott D Rhodes et al. Res Sq. .

Update in

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Persons living with HIV (PLWH) may be at increased risk for severe COVID-19-related illness. Our community-based participatory research partnership collected and analyzed semi-structured interview data to understand the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a sample of racially/ethnically diverse gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living with HIV. Fifteen cisgender men participated; their mean age was 28. Six participants were Black/African American, five were Spanish-speaking Latinx, and four were White. Seventeen themes emerged that were categorized into six domains: knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19; COVID-19 information sources and perceptions of trustworthiness; impact of COVID-19 on behaviors, health, and social determinants of health; and general COVID-19-related concerns. Interventions are needed to ensure that PLWH have updated information and adhere to medication regimens, and to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on social isolation, economic stability, healthcare access, and other social determinants of health within this vulnerable population.

Las personas que viven con VIH (PLWH por sus siglas en inglés) pueden tener mayor riesgo de contraer serias enfermedades relacionadas con el COVID-19. Nuestra investigación participativa basada en la comunidad recopiló y analizó datos de entrevistas semiestructuradas para entender el impacto inicial de la pandemia COVID-19 en una muestra de hombres gay, bisexuales y otros hombres que tienen sexo con hombres de diversos grupos étnicos y raciales que viven con VIH. Participaron quince hombres cisgénero con un promedio de edad de 28 años. Seis participantes fueron negros/afroamericanos, cinco latinx hispanohablantes y cuatro blancos. Emergieron diecisiete temas que fueron categorizados en seis ámbitos: conocimiento y percepciones de COVID-19; fuentes de información sobre COVID-19 y percepciones de confiabilidad; impacto de COVID-19 en comportamientos, salud y determinantes sociales de la salud e inquietudes generales relacionadas con COVID-19. Se necesitan intervenciones para garantizar que las personas que viven con VIH tengan información actualizada y cumplan con adherirse a su régimen de tratamiento y reducir el impacto de COVID-19 en lo que respecta a aislamiento social, estabilidad económica, acceso a los servicios de atención médica y otros determinantes sociales de la salud en estas poblaciones vulnerables.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

References

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