"I Don't Believe That One": A Qualitative Study of Undetectable = Untransmittable Views Among Older Adults Living With HIV in South Carolina.
Prince Nii Ossah Addo, Monique J Brown, Chigozie A Nkwonta and 3 others
PMID 38949907WHAT IT FOUND
Most older adults living with HIV and a history of childhood sexual abuse did not believe undetectable meant untransmittable.
Many still recommended condoms for other infections and feared HIV reinfection.
Key findings
01Most participants did not believe in U=U, while some expressed belief based on conferences or personal observation.
02Many participants recommended continual condom use regardless of viral suppression or belief in U=U.
03Fear of HIV reinfection influenced the decision to use condoms irrespective of being undetectable.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All participants were recruited from an HIV clinic and were on ART, so the study does not describe older adults living with HIV who are not on ART or not in routine HIV clinic care. The interviews did not specifically ask about HIV-related stigma or about discussing U=U with health care workers. The study did not explore how a history of childhood sexual abuse influenced U=U views. The team did not use inter-rater agreement methods to measure coding differences. The sample was small and purposive, so it is not a test of whether U=U education changes behaviour.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The paper is listed as supported by NIH extramural research funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that U=U is false or useless because most participants did not believe it. This study reports the views of 24 older adults, not a test of HIV transmission.