Category Archives: Substance Use
Effectiveness of digital interventions in reducing chemsex-related health risks among mem who have sex with men (MSM): A systematic review
Chemsex among men who have sex with men (MSM) has emerged as a significant public health concern, creating an urgent need for effective harm-reduction strategies. Digital platforms are becoming a...
The burden of HIV-related stigma on clinical and quality of life outcomes: results from a systematic literature review
BACKGROUND: HIV-related stigma adversely impacts people with HIV. As part of a systematic literature review (SLR) to evaluate 6 research questions on HIV-related stigma among people with HIV, data from...
Structural Competency as a Global Framework for Syndemic HIV Care: A Critical Synthesis
The co-occurrence of HIV with mental health disorders, substance use, and tuberculosis continues to constitute significant global public health issues. Syndemic theory elucidates how these conditions interact synergistically to exacerbate...
Determinants of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among LGBTQ+ Populations: A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence
BACKGROUND: Understanding the multifactorial drivers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in LGBTQ+ populations is critical to advancing equitable cardiovascular care. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and synthesize empirical evidence on factors influencing...
Body Image and Its Associated Factors among People Living with HIV: A Scoping Review and Implications for Integrated Care
People living with HIV (PLWH) face unique biopsychosocial challenges due to both infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART), one of which is body image disruption. This study comprehensively reviewed relevant studies...
Integrating smoking cessation into HIV care settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis of effectiveness and the evidence gap in cost-effectiveness
The prevalence of smoking among people living with HIV (PLWH) is higher than in the general population, and PLWH who smoke are at increased risk of both smoking- and HIV-related...
Housing Instability as a Barrier to HIV Viral Suppression: Evidence from a U.S. Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Housing instability and homelessness remain pervasive structural determinants of poor HIV outcomes in the United States. People living with HIV (PLWH) who experience homelessness face intersecting barriers, including stigma, behavioral...
Global mental health disparities among transgender women and transfeminine people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 63 studies
BACKGROUND: Transgender women and transfeminine people face a disproportionate burden of mental health conditions driven by stigma, discrimination, and structural inequities, with additional psychosocial challenges related to HIV diagnosis and...
Healthcare Access in Chemsex Contexts in Brazil: A Scoping Review and the VIP-Chemsex Model
Background/Objectives: Sexualized drug use (SDU) and chemsex have emerged as a growing public health concern globally, reflecting complex intersections between sexual practices, psychoactive substance use, and structural vulnerabilities. In Brazil,...
Systematic review of sexual violence against sex workers: implications for mental and sexual health
BACKGROUND: Sex workers worldwide experience different forms of violence and stigma that increase the risk of adverse health outcomes. It is assumed that a discriminatory, criminalizing context as well as...
Perinatal HIV in Europe: Clinical Advances and Psychosocial Challenges-A Scoping Review
Despite significant biomedical advances in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, residual transmission and suboptimal maternal outcomes persist across Europe. The challenge is no longer primarily virological but...
The global epidemiology of injecting drug use, HIV, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis among people who are incarcerated: A multistage systematic review
Background: This global systematic review assesses the prevalence of injecting drug use (IDU) and key infectious diseases (HIV, hepatitis C virus [HCV], tuberculosis and hepatitis B virus [HBV]) among people...
