Objective: The objective of this study is to use GPS technology to determine if violent and property crime exposure to participants activity spaces affect outcomes of the HIV prevention and care continuum (PCC) among Young Black sexually minoritized men (YBSMM) and Transgender women (TW), a subgroup at high vulnerability for new HIV diagnoses. Exposure to violent and property crime adversely affects a variety of acute and chronic medical conditions; however the relationship between exposure to violent and property crime and HIV risk (e.g., PrEP non use) is unknown. Spatial analytic analysis using dynamic Global Position Systems (GPS) technology can accurately detect geospatial associations between the crime exposure and objective HIV related outcomes.
Methods: With the Neighborhoods and Networks (N2) Cohort Study, GPS technology to identify the activity space of 286 (123 PLWH and 163 PWoH) YBSMM & TW living in Chicago, IL, to identified spatial associations between violent and property crime exposures with HIV PCC outcomes.
Results: We found that YBSMM & TGW with higher exposure areas with higher levels of violent crime were less likely to use HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) therapy (aOR 0.76, 95% CI 0.63-0.91, p = 0.03).
Conclusion: This study demonstrates the importance of clinical providers to consider violent crime as a potential sociostructural barrier that may impact medication adherence and health care outcomes among vulnerable populations. Additionally, GPS technology offers an alternative data analytic process that may be used to future studies to assist in identifying barriers to ending the HIV epidemic.
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