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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/11375/30351
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DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.advisorMbuagbaw, Lawrence-
dc.contributor.authorGraham, Tatyana-
dc.date.accessioned2024-10-04T17:58:25Z-
dc.date.available2024-10-04T17:58:25Z-
dc.date.issued2024-
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11375/30351-
dc.description.abstractBackground: The Black community in Canada is disproportionately burdened by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Factors at the downstream, midstream, and upstream levels contribute to this ongoing health challenge. The upstream (structural) factors are not well understood by policymakers and the Public Health Agency of Canada continues to request better research in this area. Examining the current research landscape on HIV and the Black community in Canada will identify the gaps and serve as the first step towards addressing them. Objective: The aim of this scoping review is to map existing health literature about HIV and the Black community in Canada and identify gaps that can be addressed in future research on this topic. This review also uses a scoping review methodology as a case to illustrate how this methodology can be used to identify literature gaps of a biomedical topic. Methods: This thesis follows the Joana Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual for Evidence Synthesis guidelines and was conducted through six major databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Google Scholar). Studies were systematically screened using the inclusion criteria. Data was analyzed and presented using pre-determined and subsequently developed outcome categories. Results: Our initial search produced 3060 abstracts. After applying our eligibility criteria and screening all abstracts and full-texts, we retained 67 articles. We added 11 studies from a recently published review on a similar topic, which resulted in a total of 78 literature sources for this study. HIV outcomes addressed in this review include prevalence, incidence, knowledge about HIV, behaviours related to transmission, access to care, barriers/facilitators to care, use of HIV care, engagement/retention in care, initiation/adherence to treatment, CD4 count, HIV-related stigma, intersectionality, HIV prevention, testing, and resilience. The majority of studies were conducted in Ontario (n = 65, ~83.3%) and were either cross-sectional (n = 26) or qualitative (n = 14) designs. The most common outcomes reported were behaviours related to HIV transmission (n = 17), HIV-related stigma (n = 15), and access to HIV care (n = 14). Conclusion: Overall, research gaps were observed at all three levels. Notable gaps include: data from provinces and territories outside of Ontario, incidence and prevalence data that can be pooled, comparisons of HIV knowledge and access to HIV care between Black and non-Black communities, information on HIV transmission through needles, and identifying structural solutions to addressing the HIV burden.en_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subjectHIVen_US
dc.subjectBlacken_US
dc.subjectBlack researchen_US
dc.subjectBlack healthen_US
dc.subjectAfricanen_US
dc.subjectCaribbeanen_US
dc.subjectCanadaen_US
dc.subjectScoping reviewen_US
dc.subjectResearch landscapesen_US
dc.subjectHIV policyen_US
dc.subjectRaceen_US
dc.subjectRacialen_US
dc.subjectEthnicityen_US
dc.subjectRacial communityen_US
dc.titleHIV and the Black community in Canada: A Scoping Reviewen_US
dc.title.alternativeScoping Review of HIV and the Black community in Canadaen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.contributor.departmentHealth Research Methodologyen_US
dc.description.degreetypeThesisen_US
dc.description.degreeMaster of Science (MSc)en_US
dc.description.layabstractThis thesis summarizes the research on HIV and the Black community in Canada through the use of scoping review methodology. Although HIV is a prominent health research topic, there are gaps in understanding the causes of high rates of HIV infection and HIV-related death in certain groups. The structure of the Canadian health system is flawed, as Black people continue to be unequally burdened by financial, housing, and food insecurity, as well as stigma related to immigration status, race, gender, and HIV status. These ‘structural-level’ issues are linked to a higher risk of HIV infection and poor health outcomes. Research must investigate these issues through different lenses in order to develop appropriate solutions. In this thesis, a scoping review is used to illustrate how this methodology can identify research gaps on a biomedical topic. Our initial search identified 3060 abstracts. After screening all abstracts and full-texts, we retained 67 articles. We added 11 studies from a recently published review on a similar topic, which resulted in a total of 78 literature sources for this study. HIV outcomes addressed in this review include prevalence, incidence, knowledge about HIV, behaviours related to transmission, access to care, barriers/facilitators to care, use of HIV care, engagement/retention in care, initiation/adherence to treatment, CD4 count, HIV-related stigma, intersectionality, HIV prevention, testing, and resilience.en_US
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