Overview

This study examines the co-occurring rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) and substance use among young Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and other youth (2SLGBTQI+) youth through a lens of implementation science. Through the intensive study of interventions from within the clinical and policy domains, this study aims to inform the adaptation and scale-up of key interventions. Interventions that concurrently address substance use and sexual harms (e.g., STBBIs, HIV-related outcomes) and other known co-morbidities (e.g., psychiatric comorbidities) are of particular interest.

Objectives

This five-year team grant will identify implementation factors that promote the ethical, effective and evidence-informed scale-up of interventions across different contexts and sub-groups of young 2SLGBTQI+ in BC. The team will also work to identify and respond to intervention implementation gaps, including instances where interventions differentially affect outcomes within and across sub-groups of young 2SLGBTQI+ in BC.

With the aim of reducing sexual- and drug-related HIV risk among young people, this program will also work to develop and use harmonized data systems to monitor and inform key intervention implementation decisions. Our work will provide opportunities to characterize and prospectively monitor both patterns and contexts of substance use, sexual behaviour and resultant HIV risk among 2SLGBTQI+ youth.

Furthermore, we will also identify actionable strategies for adapting and scaling-up interventions to reduce sexual- and drug-related HIV risk among young 2SLGBTQI+ in BC. The final overarching goal of this study is to launch new training and mentoring opportunities while building multi-sectoral capacity to inform better intervention implementation.

Partners

• YouthCO HIV and Hepatitis C Society
• Community-Based Research Centre
• Health Initiative for Men (HiM)

Knowledge Translation

• Report: "Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic: Conversations with 30 queer, trans and non-binary youth from across BC" (March 2023)
• Video: "Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic: Conversations with queer, trans & non-binary youth from across BC" (August 2023) English | Francais

Interested in finding out more about the IS Team Study?

Contact details: Please contact Research Coordinator Anna Carson at [email protected]