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UNI project – Increasing Involvement of MSM in the Continuum of Care in Kazakhstan (2016 – 2021)

Funding: National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Grant amount: 3’431’964 USD

The project goal: The study aimed to test the efficacy of a social network-based HIV intervention designed to increase the number of MSM who use drugs in Kazakhstan and engage them in the continuum of care.

Project Description: The study involved a phased clinical trial in Almaty, Shymkent and Astana involving MSM who use drugs. As part of the intervention, MSM served as experts and used social networking processes to increase their engagement in the HIV treatment continuum. The study included 629 people, of whom 254 reported having had an HIV test in the past 6 months.

The project results: The results of this clinical trial confirm that the PRIDE in HIV Care program is an effective behavioral intervention that can increase HIV testing rates among MSM in Kazakhstan, as well as encourage behavior change among people who have never received direct intervention.

Publications:

  • Earlier Sexual Debut and Anti-Gay Victimization Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) in Kazakhstan (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37272025/);
  • Compounding vulnerabilities: victimization and discrimination is associated with COVID-19 disruptions to HIV-related care among gay, bisexual, and other men and transgender and nonbinary people who have sex with men in Kazakhstan (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36628449/);
  • HIV Stigma, Homophobia, Sexual and Gender Minority Community Connectedness and HIV Testing Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men and Transgender People Who Have Sex with Men in Kazakhstan  (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33743115/);
  • Polydrug Use, Sexual Risk, and HIV Testing Among Cisgender Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men and Transgender and Nonbinary Individuals Who Have Sex With Men in Kazakhstan (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36181500/).
  • Reeder KG, Lee YG, Sung J, Vinogradov V, Zhakupova G, Mergenova G, Davis A, Paine EA, Primbetova S, Terlikbayeva A, Kali S, Hunt T, Wu E. Trans Health is Public Health: The Prevalence of HIV Among Trans and Gender Expansive People in Kazakhstan. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2024 Sep 24:rs.3.rs-5124958. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5124958/v1. PMID: 39399678; PMCID: PMC11469378.
  • Laughney, C. I., Lee, Y. G., Mergenova, G., Vinogradov, V., Zhakupova, G., Paine, E. A., … & Wu, E. (2023). Earlier Sexual Debut as a Risk Factor for Substance Use Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Kazakhstan. Global Social Welfare, 1-8.
  • Laughney CI, Lee YG, Mergenova G, Vinogradov V, Zhakupova G, Paine EA, Primbetova S, Terlikbayeva A, Wu E. Earlier Sexual Debut and Exchange Sex among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Kazakhstan. J Sex Res. 2023 Jul;60(6):919-924. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2023.2167064. Epub 2023 Jan 19. PMID: 36657067; PMCID: PMC10354213.
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UNI eng

UNI Project – At risk men’s involvement in HIV treatment continuum in the Republic of Kazakhstan (2017 – 2021)

Kazakhstan has a significant need for renewed and innovative HIV prevention and treatment efforts. Kazakhstan is one of the only nine countries that saw >25% increase in HIV incidence in the first decade of this century. Besides, AIDS-related mortality has actually increased 21% between 2005-2011 in Central Asia.

Several lines of evidence point to the value and urgent need for research on at-risk men who in Kazakhstan. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are one of the key at-risk populations that bear the disproportionate brunt of the pandemic. Likewise, drug use and drug injecting are the major factors in HIV infection transmission in Kazakhstan. The UNI project seeks to engage at-risk men who use drugs to get tested for HIV and subsequently link to friendly care and treatment services.

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