Identifying effective strategies for improving engagement in HIV prevention and care among transgender persons in the United States: A systematic review

This systematic review synthesized published literature (2000–2023) to identify HIV interventions specifically designed for transgender persons in the United States (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021256460). The review also summarized strategies for improving outcomes related to the four pillars of the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative in the United States: Diagnose, Treat, Prevent, and Respond. A comprehensive search was conducted using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s HIV Prevention Research Synthesis Project database, which included over 120,000 citations from routine systematic searches in CINAHL, EMBASE, Global Health, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, and Sociological Abstracts. Of 23 interventions that met inclusion criteria, 94% focused on transgender women of color and 22% focused on young transgender persons aged 15–29 years old. Most interventions focused on Treat or Prevent, few focused on Diagnosis, and none focused on Respond. Twenty interventions (87%) showed improvement in at least one EHE related outcome and a quarter of these effective interventions were tested with randomized controlled trials. Common strategies observed in effective interventions include the following: engaging the community in intervention development; pilot-testing with the focus population to ensure appropriateness and acceptability; addressing social determinants of health (e.g. stigma, discrimination, violence) through empowerment and gender-affirming approaches; increasing access to care, prevention, and services through co-location and one-stop shop models; and utilizing peer-led counseling, education, support, and navigation. Continuous effort is needed in addressing gaps, including more research for transgender men and rural settings and for how best to adopt and adapt best practices for subgroups of transgender population.

• Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
  • Determinants of Health
• Determinants of Health
  • Housing
  • Employment
  • Food security
  • Education
  • Social support
  • Health services
  • Stigma/discrimination
  • Other
• Population(s)
  • Transgender communities
  • General HIV+ population
  • General HIV- population
• Prevention, Engagement and Care Cascade
  • Engagement and Care Cascade
  • Prevention
• Engagement and Care Cascade
  • Linkage/engagement in care
  • Retention in care
  • Treatment
• Prevention
  • Sexual risk behaviour
  • Drug use behaviours/harm reduction
  • Biomedical interventions
  • Education/media campaigns
• Testing
  • Testing
• Health Systems
  • Governance arrangements
  • Delivery arrangements