Anal cancer is something persons living with HIV are impacted by more than people who are not living with HIV. Screening tools are used to detect and/or prevent some illnesses. Researchers are proposing using human papillomavirus (HPV) screening specific to the type of infection (location) as a useful tool for the earlier detection and/or prevention of anal cancer. Using HPV typing, researchers seek to understand the association HPV specific to anal cancer has with women living with HIV, if age is a factor, and HPV vaccination status.
African American women experience a decline in their sexual and reproductive health at a higher rate than women of other races/ethnicities and/or cultures. Researchers propose that this in part due to the social and cultural practices of African American women and products most commonly used for the purpose of feminine hygiene and sexual practices. Researchers seek to identify the products used by African American women, examine the product's chemical footprint and study the association between a declining sexual and reproductive health and the harmful chemicals present in commonly used products.
It is well-known that person living with HIV and engaging in substance use experience difficulty keeping up with medical care and treatment, leading to worse HIV care continuum outcomes. Researchers seek to study the substance use habits of women living with and without HIV and the use of any combination of HIV, mental health and/or substance use treatment among this population of women.
Despite non-AIDS comorbidities (NACM), such as heart and kidney disease, being more common and occurring earlier in life among women versus men with HIV, evidence is lacking to understand potential drivers of sex and gender differences. This study is evaluating the effect of reproductive history, in addition to age and HIV, on NACM development in women across the reproductive life course. The hope is to refine comorbidity screening and prevention strategies, including the optimal time window for NACM risk-assessment and intervention, in young women with HIV who are uniquely at risk.
