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. 2022 Dec;26(12):3991-4003.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-022-03725-2. Epub 2022 Jul 5.

Community-based accompaniment for adolescents transitioning to adult HIV care in urban Peru: a pilot study

Valentina Vargas #  1 , Milagros Wong #  2 , Carly A Rodriguez  3 , Hugo Sanchez  4 , Jerome Galea  3   5   6 , Alicia Ramos  2 , Liz Senador  2 , Lenka Kolevic  7   8 , Eduardo Matos  8   9 , Eduardo Sanchez  8   10 , Renato A Errea  2   3 , Karen Ramos  2 , Catherine Beckhorn  2 , Andrew Lindeborg  3 , Carlos Benites  8 , Leonid Lecca  2   3 , Sonya Shin  11 , Molly F Franke  12
Affiliations

Community-based accompaniment for adolescents transitioning to adult HIV care in urban Peru: a pilot study

Valentina Vargas et al. AIDS Behav. 2022 Dec.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

We piloted a community-based intervention to improve outcomes among adolescents living with HIV who were transitioning to adult-oriented care in Lima, Peru. We assessed feasibility and potential effectiveness, including within-person changes in self-reported adherence, psychosocial metrics (NIH Toolbox), and transition readiness ("Am I on TRAC" questionnaire, "Got Transition" checklist). From October 2019 to January 2020, we enrolled 30 adolescents (15-21 years). The nine-month intervention consisted of logistical, adherence and social support delivered by entry-level health workers and group sessions to improve health-related knowledge and skills and social support. In transition readiness, we observed within-person improvements relative to baseline. We also observed strong evidence of improvements in adherence, social support, self-efficacy, and stress, which were generally sustained three months post-intervention. All participants remained in treatment after 12 months. The intervention was feasible and potentially effective for bridging the transition to adult HIV care. A large-scale evaluation, including biological endpoints, is warranted.

Piloteamos una intervención comunitaria para mejorar los resultados de adolescentes viviendo con el VIH que se encontraban en transición a la atención de VIH orientada a adultos en Lima, Perú. Evaluamos la viabilidad y la eficacia potencial, incluidos los cambios personales en la adherencia auto-reportada, criterios psicosociales (NIH Toolbox), y preparación para la transición (cuestionario “Estoy en el TRAC”, lista de verificación “Got Transition”). Desde octubre de 2019 hasta enero de 2020, enrolamos a 30 adolescentes (15 a 21 años). La intervención de nueve meses consistió en apoyo logístico, de adherencia y social brindado por técnicos de enfermería y sesiones grupales para mejorar tanto el conocimiento y las habilidades relacionados con la salud, como el apoyo social. En cuanto a la preparación para la transición, observamos mejoras comparada con el basal. También observamos una fuerte evidencia de mejoras en la adherencia, apoyo social, autoeficacia y estrés, que se mantuvieron, generalmente, tres meses después del fin de la intervención. Todos los participantes seguían en tratamiento después de 12 meses. La intervención fue factible y potencialmente efectiva para tender un puente en la transición a la atención del VIH para adultos. Esto amerita una evaluación a mayor escala y que incluya criterios clínicos.

Keywords: Adherence; Adolescents; Differentiated care; HIV care continuum; Social support.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Treatment adherence in the last 30 days among adolescents living with HIV in Lima, Peru. In the graph of the number of days in the last 30 that at least one dose was missed, the bottom and top of the gray box represent the 25th and 75th percentiles, respectively. The dark horizontal like represents the median. The vertical error bars encompass the full range of values.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Within-person changes in psychosocial outcome scores among adolescents living with HIV in Lima, Peru. The bottom and top of the gray box represent the 25th and 75th percentiles, respectively. The dark horizontal line represents the median. The vertical error bars encompass the full range of values.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Within-person changes in transition readiness among adolescents living with HIV in Lima, Peru. The bottom and top of the gray box represent the 25th and 75th percentiles, respectively. The dark horizontal like represents the median. The vertical error bars encompass the full range of values.
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