Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 2018

Purpose of Review-Adolescents, in particular those that are most disenfranchised, are increasingly at risk of acquiring HIV and, when acquiring HIV, have worse outcomes than adults. This article reviews the recent approaches to combination prevention aiming to optimize the HIV Prevention and HIV Treatment Continua. Recent Findings-There are dramatic sociodemographic differences in the HIV epidemics in low and middle income countries (young women in sub-Saharan Africa) compared to high income countries (predominantly gay, bisexual, transgendered youth, especially Black and Latino youth). Researchers and clinicians are designing developmentally-tailored interventions that anticipate youths' engagement with mobile technologies and build on the common features of evidence-based interventions that pre-date the use of antiretroviral therapies (ARV) for prevention and treatment. Summary-Evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment programs that are cost-effective need to be broadly-diffused globally. Substantial investments must be made in understanding how to implement programs which have clinically-meaningful impact and continuously monitor intervention quality over time.

Journal of the International AIDS Society, 2015

Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999), 2014

The global HIV epidemic in adolescents is not controlled, and this group has not received sufficient attention in programming and research efforts addressing HIV prevention, treatment, and care. A global technical consultation on adolescents and HIV addressing services and research gaps was convened by United Nations Children's Fund and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in July 2013. Proceedings from this meeting are presented in this issue of the Supplement. Several reviews highlight poor levels of coverage of critical HIV prevention, treatment, and care interventions for adolescents, disparities in HIV prevalence among adolescent girls, and low-risk perceptions associated with risk behaviors among key risk groups. Others underscore the significance of clear national targets and strengthening data, government involvement, enhanced systems capacity and policy, engagement of community and adolescent social networks, and of mobile and internet technologies to the ...

JAMA Pediatrics, 2018

Dramatic advances have occurred in biomedical treatments for both preventing and treating HIV infection. Adherence to antiretroviral therapies (ARV) improves the health and longevity of people living with HIV and reduces the lifetime risk of transmitting HIV by up to 96%.1 Additionally, preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP)—preventive strategies that involve taking ARV medications before or immediately after potential HIV exposure—have been shown to be effective in preventing HIV infection among persons at high-risk of acquiring HIV. Given these breakthroughs, the number of people living with HIV has declined 8% from 2010 to 2015,1 leading policy makers in many states and counties to join the Getting to Zero initiative to end the transmission of HIV infection.

2020

Youth represent 21% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States. Gay, bisexual, and transgender (GBT) youth, particularly those from communities of color, and youth who are homeless, incarcerated, in institutional settings, or engaging in transactional sex are most greatly impacted. Compared with adults, youth have lower levels of HIV serostatus awareness, uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and adherence. Widespread availability of ART has revolutionized prevention and treatment for both youth at high risk for HIV acquisition and youth living with HIV, increasing the need to integrate behavioral interventions with biomedical strategies. The investigators of the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) completed a research prioritization process in 2019, focusing on research gaps to be addressed to effectively control HIV spread among American youth. The investigators prioritized research in the following areas: (1) innovative interventions for youth to increase screening, uptake, engagement, and retention in HIV prevention (eg, pre-exposure prophylaxis) and treatment services; (2) structural changes in health systems to facilitate routine delivery of HIV services; (3) biomedical strategies to increase ART impact, prevent HIV transmission, and cure HIV; (4) mobile technologies to reduce implementation costs and increase acceptability of HIV interventions; and (5) data-informed policies to reduce HIV-related disparities and increase support and services for GBT youth and youth living with HIV. ATN's research priorities provide a roadmap for addressing the HIV epidemic among youth. To reach this goal, researchers, policy makers, and health care providers must work together to develop, test, and disseminate novel biobehavioral interventions for youth.

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 2018

During the 69th UN General Assembly world leaders agreed that ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 was possible. An AIDS-free generation is not achievable without addressing youth vulnerability globally. Street-connected youths are one of the groups most at risk.

JMIR Research Protocols, 2021

Youth represent 21% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States. Gay, bisexual, and transgender (GBT) youth, particularly those from communities of color, and youth who are homeless, incarcerated, in institutional settings, or engaging in transactional sex are most greatly impacted. Compared with adults, youth have lower levels of HIV serostatus awareness, uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and adherence. Widespread availability of ART has revolutionized prevention and treatment for both youth at high risk for HIV acquisition and youth living with HIV, increasing the need to integrate behavioral interventions with biomedical strategies. The investigators of the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) completed a research prioritization process in 2019, focusing on research gaps to be addressed to effectively control HIV spread among American youth. The investigators prioritized research in the following areas: (1) innovative interventions for youth to increase screening, uptake, engagement, and retention in HIV prevention (eg, pre-exposure prophylaxis) and treatment services; (2) structural changes in health systems to facilitate routine delivery of HIV services; (3) biomedical strategies to increase ART impact, prevent HIV transmission, and cure HIV; (4) mobile technologies to reduce implementation costs and increase acceptability of HIV interventions; and (5) data-informed policies to reduce HIV-related disparities and increase support and services for GBT youth and youth living with HIV. ATN's research priorities provide a roadmap for addressing the HIV epidemic among youth. To reach this goal, researchers, policy makers, and health care providers must work together to develop, test, and disseminate novel biobehavioral interventions for youth.

Frontiers in public health, 2024

2015

YOUTH IS A SOCIO-HISTORICAL CATEGORY WHICH HAS GAINED RELEVANCE IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES. ITS DEFINITION BEARS THE MARK OF DIVERSITY; IT IS A POLYSEMOUS CONCEPT. ACCORDING TO UNO-ECLAC (2007), YOUNGSTERS CONSTITUTE AN IMPORTANT HUMAN GROUP ACCOUNTING FOR APPROXIMATELY 37% OF THE IBERO- AMERICAN POPULATION, INCLUDING THE GROUP BETWEEN 15 AND 24 YEARS OF AGE. LIKEWISE, THEY ARE INFLUENCED BY THEIR LIVING CONTEXT AND TIME WHICH QUALIFIES AND DISTINGUISHES THEIR GROWTH AND MATURATION EVOLUTION. LIKE OTHER HUMAN GROUPS, THEY ARE DIVERSE AND UNIQUE. THEY REPRESENT A COMPLEX LIFE PERIOD DEMANDING TRANSDISCIPLINE RESEARCH AND MULTISECTORIAL EDUCATION AND PREVENTION WORK. SUBJECTIVITIES REFER TO THE INTERPRETATIONS MADE BY YOUTH ON THE REALITY SURROUNDING THEM. THERE IS A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE DIFFICULTIES PRESENT IN OUR ENVIRONMENT. THOUGH THE CURRENT IMPACT CAN BE CONSIDERED POSITIVE IN GENERAL, IT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED THAT A LONG AND DIFFICULT ROAD HAD TO BE ...