Metrics details. Significant research gaps exist in understanding the context in which YMSM use poppers. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 YMSM 22—31 years with HIV to better understand the context in which poppers are used and their impacts on HIV care outcomes, such as care retention and antiretroviral adherence.
The Social Ecological Model was applied to understand intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, and system level influences on popper use. Factors influencing popper use included: ubiquity of popper use in sexual settings, introduction to poppers by casual sexual partners, patient-HIV provider communication surrounding poppers, neighborhood, substance use and HIV care systems, and the legal status of poppers. Implications for clinical care, public health, policy, and future research are discussed.
Peer Review reports. Alarmingly, youth are the least likely of any age group to be aware of their HIV status, retained in care and have an undetectable HIV viral load [ 5 ]. The science is clear: individuals who receive timely HIV diagnosis, are retained in HIV medical care and achieve sustained viral suppression on antiretroviral medication do not transmit HIV [ 6 ]. Given that substance use negatively impacts each stage of the HIV care continuum diagnosis, entry into care, treatment initiation, and viral suppression , it is essential that substance use is assessed and addressed in vulnerable populations in order to achieve positive health outcomes and reduce HIV transmission [ 7 ].
Nitrite inhalants poppers are commonly used by men who have sex with men MSM [ 8 , 9 ] and are associated with HIV acquisition [ 10 ]—likely due to their association with anal intercourse between individuals of mixed HIV status [ 11 ] and condomless sex [ 12 ]. Poppers are potent rapid-onset short-acting vasodilators which produce a head rush and are often used during sexual encounters to enhance pleasure and facilitate intercourse by relaxing smooth muscle tissue.
They are legal to purchase under the guise of commercial use e. Popper use is concentrated in the MSM community; representative U. Available literature comes predominantly from the s through early s [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], posing challenges to understanding the current potential scope of popper abuse.
