Grant: Team Gr.:Embracing Diversity-HIV/AIDS and STBBI Co-infections and Co-morbidities

Sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections (STBBIs), like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, and syphilis, are major health concerns in Canada and worldwide. STBBIs often interact with other factors like income inequality, race or ethnicity, substance use (such as alcohol or drugs), mental health conditions, and other chronic diseases (like diabetes or heart disease). Combinations of STBBIs with these health and social factors often make health outcomes much worse for certain groups of people. Therefore, to reduce health inequities for these key affected groups, a precision health approach is needed. This means designing STBBI-related health care services that serve the unique health needs of diverse populations while considering their unique social contexts. However, designing services that work for different groups is very challenging. While there can be similarities among different STBBIs in risk factors, how they are transmitted, and in what social contexts, there may be significant differences across groups and even within groups, such as by age, sex/gender, immigration, ethnicity, socioeconomic status. To understand differences between groups, we need to analyze large data and talk with the people affected to make sure the findings reflect their real-life experiences. Our project will involve analysis of data from the health system in BC and collaboration with community groups, people with lived/living experience of STBBIs, service providers and health system leaders. This collaborative and data-driven project will inform the design of health interventions and their delivery methods so they will be practical, effective, acceptable, and address the real needs of diverse and key groups affected by STBBIs.