Strategies for engaging men in HIV services

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Global Health
• HIV/AIDS Research

Background:

• Men's engagement in HIV services is suboptimal globally, leading to worse health outcomes compared to women.
• Societal, economic, and institutional factors contribute to men's lower participation in HIV services.
• There is a growing body of evidence on strategies to improve men's involvement in HIV prevention and care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize current evidence on strategies for enhancing men's engagement in HIV services.
• To identify promising interventions and persistent challenges in male engagement within the global HIV response.
• To guide future research directions for improving HIV outcomes among men.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies reporting on strategies to improve men's engagement in HIV services.
• Analysis of various intervention types, including community-based outreach, gender-transformative programs, and health service modifications.
• Identification of common barriers and facilitators to male engagement.

Main Results:

• Promising strategies include community outreach, gender norm-shifting interventions, and developing male-friendly health services.
• Key challenges include intervention cost, sustainability, addressing intersecting inequalities (race, class), and changing deep-rooted gender norms.
• Evidence remains concentrated in a limited number of countries.

Conclusions:

• Effective strategies exist but require adaptation to local contexts and consideration of intersecting inequalities.
• Future research should prioritize theory-informed interventions, focus on diverse male subpopulations, and expand the global evidence base.
• Addressing gender norms and improving health service accessibility are critical for advancing the global HIV response among men.