Health Sciences

HIV Futures - http://www.latrobe.edu.au/hiv-futures/
Jeffrey Grierson, Marian Pitts, Michael Hurley, Mary O’Brien, Sebastian Misson, Karalyn McDonald, Rachel Thorpe

This national project is a self-complete cross-sectional survey of Australian PLWHA. The first HIV Futures survey was undertaken in 1997, with a sample size of 925, the second in 1999 with a sample of 924, the third in 2001 with a sample of 894 and the forth in 2003 with a sample of 1059. This survey has provided valuable insights into the place of the new therapies in the lives of PLWHA and the social and personal impact of HIV on the lives of PLWHA. This study has added significantly to the discourse on living with HIV both nationally and internationally at both academic and community levels.

Funding: CARG Collaborating Centre Grant, Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Status: On going

HIV Futures: in depth qualitative components
Jeffrey Grierson, Mary O’Brien, Karalyn McDonald,
Collaborators: Gianfranco Giuntoli, Michael Smithson (ANU)

This component of the HIV Futures study examines emerging issues in depth. The qualitative studies will enable analysis over time of some key questions, including optimism/scepticism about treatments and its impact on sexual practice, and changing HIV identities in relation to illness trajectories. Qualitative data from the Futures 1 to 3 studies have been coded, analysed and the subject of conference papers at several international and national AIDS conferences. Currently a collaboration with ANU researchers is examining the utility of a capacity based approach to quality of life.

Funding: CARG Collaborating Centre Grant, Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Status: On going

HIV Futures: Indigenous cohort
Jon Willis, Jeffrey Grierson, Mark Saunders, Michael Hurley, Karalyn McDonald

This study is based on secondary analyses of data collected in HIV Futures 2, 3 and 4. Indigenous respondents to the 1999, 2001 and 2003 surveys represent a substantial proportion of the Indigenous people in Australia known to be HIV positive.

Funding: CARG Collaborating Centre Grant, Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Status: In progress.

HIV and hepatitis C co-infection
Stephen McNally, Mary O’Brien

This is a qualitative study of people’s experiences of being co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C. This study is exploring in more detail some of the issues raised by analysis of the Futures II and Futures 3 surveys. The project aims to explore the health and social issues faced by people who are co-infected. The study focuses not only on the impact of one virus on another, but also the synergistic effects (both clinically and socially) of living with two viruses.

Funding: CARG Collaborating Centre Grant, Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Status: In progress

Gay community responses to recent sero-conversions
Michael Hurley, Jeffrey Grierson.

This project is investigating in what ways there are emerging moral formations within gay community and HIV sector responses to HIV infection and the implications of these discourses for new infections amongst those who see themselves as morally immune.

Funding: CARG Collaborating Centre grant, Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Status: In progress

Indigenous Futures: sex, drugs and medications
Jon Willis, Mark Saunders
Collaborators AFAO Indigenous Project Steering Committee

This study aims to explore the risk environment in which Indigenous positive people live through a series of qualitative interviews in major centres of the Indigenous epidemic.

Funding: CARG Collaborating Centre grant, Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Status: In progress

‘positive Health’
Jeffrey Grierson, Mel Irenyi

Collaborators: Garrett Prestage (NCHECR), Patrick Rawstorne (NCHSR)
This collaborative project is a cohort study of HIV positive people with particular emphasis on the social aspects of treatments, side effects, dosing and drug interactions. The pH study examines health management strategies of HIV-positive people. It looks at the on-going health strategies adopted by people living with HIV/AIDS like decisions about treatments, side-effects, use of natural/complimentary therapies, access to health services and information. Findings from the study help with the provision of information for future planning of health services and support programs.

Funding CARG Collaborating Centre grant, Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Status: Ongoing - Data collection annually

Study of risk factors for HIV infection (Seroconversion study - Melbourne)
Sean Slavin, Karalyn McDonald, Marian Pitts.
Collaborators: National Centre in HIV Social Research; National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research

This study aims to identify social, behavioural, psychological and cultural characteristics of people who acquire HIV infection and to identify characteristics of the social and cultural contexts in which HIV infection occurs. It does this through qualitative interviews with people who have recently acquired HIV infection.

Funding: Department of Human Services
Status: Ongoing

Evolutions: HIV Futures Longitudinal Analysis
Jeffrey Grierson, Marian Pitts, Rachel Thorpe

Data from the four existing HIV Futures Surveys are compared to examine population, subpopulation and individual change over time in the multiple domains of the study. These comparisons are conducted in three ways, each offering a different perspective on the continued evolution of lived experience of HIV/AIDS. 1. Independent samples comparison: Data from the four studies are compared at the population level. This analysis takes into account changes in the demography of the HIV epidemic. It gives an overview of how the constituency of AIDS service industry has changed and the issues that have emerged or faded over time. 2. Cohort analysis: This analysis uses a sophisticated multivariable case matching algorithm to produce pseudo cohorts of individuals matched across multiple studies within a certain degree of confidence. There are multiple cohorts identified (eg F1 & F2; F1, F2, F3 & F4; F1 &F4). Analyses of these cohorts allows us to examine the extent to which difference observed, or not observed, in the comparison of the two complete samples can be attributed to or are masking difference experienced by individual PLWHA. 3. Combined HIV Futures/ positive Health Database: A sub-sample of the HIV Futures respondents has included their unique identifier from the positive Health (pH) study on the survey instrument. Analysis of this strictly identified cohort allows us combine the very detailed health and treatment information in pH with the social contextualising variable in HIV Futures to examine in more detail (although with a smaller sample than either study) the relationship between health and social factors.

Funding: CARG Collaborating Centre Grant, Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Status: On going

MultiPoz: Comparative data on the lived experience of HIV Positive people from culturally & linguistically diverse backgrounds
Jeffrey Grierson
Collaborators: Chris Lemoh (Melbourne Health), Multicultural HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C Service, The Multicultural Health & Support Service

While there has been participation from HIV positive people from CALD backgrounds in social research, there continues to be concern that some populations or segments of populations are under-represented in these projects. This project aims to establish a collaborative research group that will enhance the capacity of all partners in this area; to provide information about the lived experience of people living with HIV/AIDS from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in a form that is comparable with information currently available about other PLWHA; to develop a research process that ensures cultural sensitivity while maintaining scientific rigour; to ensure that analyses of these data benefit their health and well being of these populations by enhancing the delivery of services by the relevant HIV/AIDS agencies.

Funding: CARG Collaborating Centre Grant, Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Status: On going

The meaning of complementary and alternative medicine practices among PLWHA
Sean Slavin, Karalyn McDonald

This project explores the meaning and nature of complementary and alternative medicine practices (CAM) to both PLWHA and CAM practitioners. This may assist in developing knowledge about the experience of HIV, and in some cases the limits of western medicine to address particular aspects of HIV.

Funding: Commonwealth
Status: In progress

Collaborative research, policy and service delivery as aspects of cultures of care
Michael Hurley

This project explores the policy implications of conceiving service delivery as a partnership activity between service providers, affected communities and primary carers in the context of public health policies supporting ‘self management’ amongst the chronically ill.

Funding: CARG Collaborating Centre grant, Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Status: In progress

The impact of pre- and post-test counselling on subsequent health outcomes and wellbeing of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Victoria
Jon Willis, Marian Pitts, Jeffrey Grierson
Collaborators: Penelope Vye, Rebecca Casey, Angelo Morelli, Sharon Horvat Danilovic (The Alfred Hospital)

Clinical experience suggests there are inconsistencies in the experience of HIV pre- and post-test counselling among HIV outpatients, and that a study of patients’ experiences would identify the value of such counselling, and its impact on longer term health and well-being outcomes. This is the first phase of a 2 stage study which employs qualitative methods to explore the experiences of pre- and post- test counselling associated with HIV diagnosis with a small cohort of patients (n=39) using focus groups and key informant interviews.

Funding: La Trobe University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty Research Grant
Status: In progress

Access to HIV Prevention Information/Refugees in HIV
Stephen McNally, Marian Pitts, Jeffrey Grierson, Sophie Dutertre
Collaborators: Multicultural Health & Support Service, Victorian Aids Council and Country Aids Network

This project aims to identify available support structures and materials relating to HIV/AIDS prevention, which have been developed specifically or translated for: Horn of Africa, Arabic-speaking, Vietnamese and Thai communities in Victoria.
Through Key Informant Interviews and Focus Groups, the researchers explore how culturally and linguistically appropriate the information is, how it is understood and how to best communicate HIV related information to the selected communities. There is a strong focus on the involvement of the communities themselves in the research design and implementation.

Funding: Victorian Department of Human Services
Status: In progress