People living with HIV are at higher risk of severe illness due to common respiratory pathogens. We estimated uptake of influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19 vaccines among people engaged in HIV care in Ontario, Canada, and identified factors associated with vaccine uptake. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of interviewer-administered, annual questionnaires (2021–2023) linked to medical charts and laboratory data. We used modified Poisson regression to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios and 95
Gender affirming health care (GAHC), particularly gender-affirming hormone therapy, can promote the well-being of transgender women/transfeminine persons. Social gender affirmation, in the form of social support (e.g., use of one's authentic name and pronouns), may complement and strengthen trans people's experiences with GAHC. Most research to-date has focused on social support during GAHC with children and adolescents rather than adults, who experience unique social support needs when navigating health care. Given this gap and an increasingly hostile sociopolitical context limiting transgender and gender diverse people's access to both GAHC and social support, we explored the social support experiences of trans women/transfeminine persons taking gender-affirming hormone therapy. We utilized a convergent parallel mixed methods study design drawing on secondary cross-sectional survey data from 214 trans women/transfeminine persons in Canada aged 18+ taking gender-affirming hormone therapy for ≥3 months. Bivariable analyses explored factors associated with having social support while accessing GAHC. Qualitative data from open-ended survey responses were analyzed using directed qualitative content analysis. Among participants (mean age: 32.3, standard deviation: 10.8), most (94.4%) reported having at least one person who supported them. Those receiving social assistance and those of Black race/ethnicity were statistically significantly less likely to report having social support. Narratives revealed positive and negative interpersonal interactions from partners, family (parents, siblings, chosen), and friends (particularly queer-/trans-identified), influenced by emotional capacity, anti-trans stigma, and pretransition relationship dynamics. Social support improved individuals' mental health, increased participants' community connectedness, and enhanced trans joy. These findings underscore the importance of providers fostering social support among trans women/transfeminine people accessing GAHC. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
INTRODUCTION:While mental health and substance use challenges have been shown to most frequently emerge during adolescence and young adulthood, a significant portion of these youth experience barriers when attempting to access quality and timely care. The Integrated Youth Service (IYS) model of care aims to transform healthcare for youth by bringing together a broad array of service providers in low-barrier, accessible settings across Canada. Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) is the IYS network in Ontario and consists of Networks across the province that serve diverse youth aged 12-25. YWHO is founded on six core components that were developed based on youth-centred approaches to care, including integrated service delivery (ISD) and measurement-based care (MBC). Despite ample evidence promoting ISD and MBC, there remains a gap in identifying key implementation considerations and recommendations within IYS settings. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:This study will use the Quality Implementation Framework and a mixed methods approach to understand the perspectives of youth, caregivers/family and service providers' experiences of ISD and MBC. Focus groups will be conducted with all participant groups to identify their perspectives on these two IYS core components. Group concept mapping will identify youth-friendly, higher-level conceptualisations of ISD and MBC. Quantitative data will be collected using the Service Provider Adopter and Innovation Characteristics Questionnaire (SPAICQ) and a Social Network Analysis approach. The study will use a Convergence Parallel Design (triangulation) as the primary integration strategy, where qualitative and quantitative data are collected concurrently and brought together during the interpretation phase. This will be supplemented by embedded sequential mixing where the outputs of one method (eg, focus groups) inform the design or analysis of another (eg, SPAICQ scores). Youth and caregivers/family members will be recruited through YWHO networks and youth advisory councils, and service providers will be recruited from YWHO Networks across the province. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:This study has been approved by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's (CAMH) Research Ethics Board (REB # 2023/030). Ongoing ethical approval will be maintained annually. As the study procedures are not greater than minimal risk, adverse events and/or serious adverse events are not expected. Findings from this study will be disseminated via publications in peer-reviewed journals, national and international conferences, regular briefings to interested parties and youth and family-friendly briefs through our networks and social media.
The objective of this study was to characterize new HIV diagnoses in key Ontario cities, in order to understand current drivers of continued HIV transmission to inform HIV testing and prevention efforts. Chart reviews were carried out at four clinical sites in Ontario, Canada. The study population included individuals who were diagnosed with HIV in Ottawa, Hamilton, and Toronto between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020, and had no previous evidence of HIV documented. The total number of persons in this analysis was 359, from Toronto (n = 201), Ottawa (n = 88), and Hamilton (n = 70). More than half of the diagnoses were among those who immigrated to Canada, and many were diagnosed (11
We aimed to describe long-term use trajectories and predictors prior to recreational cannabis legalization in people with HIV in Ontario, Canada. We analysed interview data from the prospective Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study from 2008 to 2017. We conducted Latent Class Growth Analyses to describe cannabis use trajectories and chi-square tests to identify trajectory group predictors. Most participants (N = 3,299) were male (81%), gay (57%), current/former tobacco smokers (58%), and many had significant symptoms of depression (43%). Four cannabis use trajectory groups were identified (Low/No Use (67%); Increased Use (4%); Decreased use (2%); High Use (26%)). Relative to the Low/No Use group, membership in the High Use group was associated with several predictors such as being older age, completing university, smoking tobacco, and significant depressive symptoms. Future research should explore the relationship between cannabis use and depressive symptoms, outcomes associated with trajectory groups and changes in use trajectories following recreational legalization.
