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Roles and Functions of Social Networks Among Men Who Use Drugs in ART Initiation in Vietnam

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Abstract

Support from social network members may help to facilitate access to HIV medical care, especially in low resourced communities. As part of a randomized clinical trial of a community-level stigma and risk reduction intervention in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam for people living with HIV who inject drugs (PWID), 341 participants were administered a baseline social network inventory. Network predictors of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation at the 6-month follow-up were assessed. The social networks of PWID were sparse. Few participants who reported injectors in their networks also reported family members, whereas those who did not have injectors were more likely to report family members and network members providing emotional support and medical advice. In multivariate models, having at least one network member who provided medical advice predicted ART initiation at 6 months (OR 2.74, CI 1.20–6.28). These results suggest the importance of functional social support and network support mobilization for ART initiation among PWID.

Resumen

Apoyo de miembros de la red social puede ayudar a facilitar el acceso a la atención médica del VIH, especialmente en comunidades con recursos bajos. Como parte de un ensayo clínico aleatorizado de un nivel de comunidad estigma y riesgo reducción intervención en de Thai Nguyen, Vietnam para personas que viven con el VIH Y personas que se inyectan drogas (PID), 341 participantes fueron administrados un inventario de la red social de referencia. Predictores de la red antirretroviral terapia (ART) iniciación a los seis meses de seguimiento fueron evaluados. Las redes sociales de debe eran escasas. Pocos participantes que reportaron inyectores en sus redes también informaron a miembros de la familia, mientras que aquellos que no tienen los inyectores eran más propensos a informar a miembros de la familia y el apoyan de miembros de la red proporcionando emocional y médico. En modelos multivariados, tener al menos un miembro de la red que proporciona Consejo médico predijo iniciación de ART a los seis meses (OR 2.74, CI 1.20–6.28). Estos resultados sugieren la importancia del apoyo social funcional y movilización de apoyo de red para la iniciación de ART entre PID.

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Funding

This study was funded R01 DA032217-05, NIDA and 1P30 AI094189, NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Carl A. Latkin

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    M. Kumi Smith, Carla Zelaya & Vu Minh Quan

  3. Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Tran Viet Ha, Tran Thi Mo, Teerada Sripaipan & Vivian F. Go

  4. Thai Nguyen Center for Preventive Medicine, Thai Nguyen, Vietnam

    Nguyen Le Minh

Authors
  1. Carl A. Latkin
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  2. M. Kumi Smith
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  7. Nguyen Le Minh
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Correspondence to Carl A. Latkin.

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Conflict of Interest

None of the authors reported a conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health IRB and the Thai Nguyen Center for Preventive Medicine and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Latkin, C.A., Smith, M.K., Ha, T.V. et al. Roles and Functions of Social Networks Among Men Who Use Drugs in ART Initiation in Vietnam. AIDS Behav 20, 2782–2789 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1408-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1408-8

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