Katherine H. A. Footer

Policing practices as a structural determinant for HIV among sex workers: a systematic review of empirical findings

Sex workers are disproportionately infected with HIV worldwide. Significant focus has been placed on understanding the structural determinants of HIV and designing related interventions. Although there is growing international evidence that policing is an important structural HIV determinant among sex workers, the evidence has not been systematically reviewed.

Measurement of attacks and interferences with health care in conflict: validation of an incident reporting tool for attacks on and interferences with health care in eastern Burma

BackgroundAttacks on health care in armed conflict and other civil disturbances, including those on health workers, health facilities, patients and health transports, represent a critical yet often overlooked violation of human rights and international humanitarian law. Reporting has been limited yet local health workers working on the frontline in conflict are often the victims of chronic abuse and interferences with their care-giving. This paper reports on the validation and revision of an instrument designed to capture incidents via a qualitative and quantitative evaluation method.MethodsBased on previous research and interviews with experts, investigators developed a 33-question instrument to report on attacks on healthcare. These items would provide information about who, what, where, when, and the impact of each incident of attack on or interference with health. The questions are grouped into 4 domains: health facilities, health workers, patients, and health transports. 38 health workers who work in eastern Burma participated in detailed discussion groups in August 2013 to review the face and content validity of the instrument and then tested the instrument based on two simulated scenarios. Completed forms were graded to test the inter-rater reliability of the instrument.ResultsFace and content validity were confirmed with participants expressing that the instrument would assist in better reporting of attacks on health in the setting of eastern Burma where they work. Participants were able to give an accurate account of relevant incidents (86% and 82% on Scenarios 1 and 2 respectively). Item-by-item review of the instrument revealed that greater than 95% of participants completed the correct sections. Errors primarily occurred in quantifying the impact of the incident on patient care. Revisions to the translated instrument based on the results consisted primarily of design improvements and simplification of some numerical fields.ConclusionThis instrument was validated for use in eastern Burma and could be used as a model for reporting violence towards health care in other conflict settings.

Barriers and Facilitators to Oral PrEP Use Among Transgender Women in New York City

Transgender women may face a disparate risk for HIV/AIDS compared to other groups. In 2012, Truvada was approved for daily use as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, there is a dearth of research about barriers and facilitators to PrEP in transgender women. This paper will shed light on transgender women living in New York City’s perceived and actual challenges to using PrEP and potential strategies to overcome them. After completing an initial screening process, four 90-min focus groups were completed with n = 18 transgender women. Participants were asked what they like and dislike about PrEP. Participants identified the following barriers: uncomfortable side effects, difficulty taking pills, stigma, exclusion of transgender women in advertising, and lack of research on transgender women and PrEP. Facilitators included: reducing pill size, increasing the types of available HIV prevention products, and conducting scientific studies to evaluate PrEP in transgender women.

Implementing Targeted Sampling: Lessons Learned from Recruiting Female Sex Workers in Baltimore, MD

Globally, HIV prevention interventions have proven efficacious among street-based female sex workers (FSWs); yet, there is a dearth of US-based HIV prevention research among this group. The lack of research among FSWs in the USA is partially driven by challenges in recruiting members of this population. The purpose of this research is to describe how targeted sampling was employed to recruit a cohort of street-based FSWs for a study that examined the role of police in shaping the HIV risk environments of street-based FSWs in Baltimore, MD. Our research demonstrates that targeted sampling can be an advantageous strategy for recruiting hidden populations that are mobile and geographically dispersed.

Structural risk and limits on agency among exotic dancers: HIV risk practices in the exotic dance club

Abstract This paper provides longitudinal examination of women’s health and sexual risk trajectories in US exotic dance clubs, which represent an important commercial setting for the economic mainstreaming of sexual services and an important target for public health programmes. Between July 2014 and May 2015, two semi-structured interviews (at baseline and at three months) were conducted with 24 female exotic dancers who had recently started working in in Baltimore City, USA. Results from a constant comparative analysis point to the interrelationship between the structures of the club setting, including the social context, and women’s agentic practices concerning their sexual health. Study findings highlight the centrality of the interrelationship between individual- and structural-level experiences in influencing dancers’ risk behavior. Findings point to the need for interventions to empower women both individually and collectively so as to provide the foundation for longer-term structural change.

Qualitative accounts from Syrian health professionals regarding violations of the right to health, including the use of chemical weapons, in opposition-held Syria

Objectives To explore the impact of the conflict, including the use of chemical weapons, in Syria on healthcare through the experiences of health providers using a public health and human rights lens. Design A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews conducted in-person or over Skype using a thematic analysis approach. Setting Interviews were conducted with Syrian health workers operating in opposition-held Syria in cooperation with a medical relief organisation in Gaziantep, Turkey. Participants We examined data from 29 semi-structured in-depth interviews with a sample of health professionals with current or recent work-related experience in opposition-controlled areas of Syria, including respondents to chemical attacks. Results Findings highlight the health worker experience of attacks on health infrastructure and services in Syria and consequences in terms of access and scarcity in availability of essential medicines and equipment. Quality of services is explored through physicians’ accounts of the knock-on effect of shortages of equipment, supplies and personnel on the right to health and its ethical implications. Health workers themselves were found to be operating under extreme conditions, in particular responding to the most recent chemical attacks that occurred in 2017, with implications for their own health and mental well-being. Conclusions The study provides unique insight into the impact war has had on Syrian’s right to health through the accounts of a sample of Syrian health professionals, with continuing relevance to the current conflict and professional issues facing health workers in conflict settings.

Psychosocial Characteristics and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Female Exotic Dancers Who Have Sex with Women in Baltimore: A Brief Report

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to compare psychosocial characteristics and sexual risk behaviors that may increase sexually transmitted infection risk among women who have sex with women compared to women who have sex with men only who are female exotic dancers (N = 117) in Baltimore, Maryland. The author used multivariate logistic regression to determine which psychosocial characteristics and sexual risk behaviors were independently associated with women who have sex with women status. Multivariate results indicated that women who have sex with women status was associated with recent homelessness, illicit substance use, and sex exchange. Prevention interventions for sexually transmitted infections should aim to address psychosocial vulnerabilities in addition to reducing sexual risk behaviors.

Experiences of structural vulnerability among exotic dancers in Baltimore, Maryland: Co-occurring social and economic antecedents of HIV/STI risk

BACKGROUND Women who grow up in economic scarcity often face limited opportunities for upward mobility, as a result of challenges securing stable housing, quality education, and steady employment. Chronic instability may limit the capacity of women to protect themselves against HIV/STI-related harm when engaging in sexual activity or drug use. Characterizing the structural contexts that facilitate HIV/STI risk among women are critical to effective design and implementation of drug and sexual harm reduction interventions. METHODS Semi-structured in-depth interviews were completed with 25 female exotic dancers working in Baltimore City and County exotic dance clubs July 2014-May 2015. Using thematic analysis, interviews were examined to understand the nature of structural vulnerability experienced by dancers during their early lives through the initial months of exotic dancing, including an examination of the roles of drug use and social relationships in engagement of sexual risk behavior. RESULTS Dancers depicted early experiences of social and economic disadvantage, which accumulated through early adulthood. Substance use emerged as an important subject for the majority of women, operating cyclically as both precursor to and product of accumulating social and economic hardship. Dancers revealed social strategies that buffered the effects of structural vulnerability and minimized exposure to workplace-related drug and sexual harms. CONCLUSION This study provides insight on an understudied group of at-risk women with a unique demographic profile. Findings illustrate how the effects of structural vulnerability, substance abuse, social strategies, and opportunities for economic gain through sexual services in the workplace converge to produce varying levels of HIV/STI risk among exotic dancers.