April M Young
Biographic Data
| ID | 94380 |
|---|---|
| NAME | April M Young |
| GIVEN NAMES | April M |
| FAMILY NAME | Young |
| SIGNATURE | YOUNG A M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Kentucky |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3969-3249 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 49 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 23 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 49 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Correlates of Rural Naloxone Possession Among People Who Use Drugs
Patterns of Felt Stigma Among Rural-Dwelling People Who Use Drugs
BACKGROUND: Stigma is a barrier to help-seeking in rural-dwelling people who use drugs. However, little is known about whether stigma is experienced in patterned ways, and what characteristics are associated with these patterns. METHODS: = 3048). We used three-step latent class analysis to classify participants by patterns of felt substance use stigma, then used multinomial logistic regression to explore demographic, health, and substance-related…
Condomless Sex Among Men Who Have Sex with Men
It is unclear whether online partner-seeking via (geo)social networking and dating websites or applications ("apps") is associated with engagement in condomless anal sex (CAS) among MSM (men who have sex with men). Previous studies present mixed findings revealing either positive, or negative, or no associations between online partner-seeking and CAS among MSM, indicating a need for additional research. This cross-sectional survey of young adult …
Willingness to Use Wearable Devices for Overdose Detection and Response
Background Wearable devices with biosensors that can detect opioid overdoses and alert first responders are already available. Devices capable of injecting naloxone are currently in development. Yet, little is known about whether people who use drugs (PWUD) are willing to wear these devices. This study examines the willingness to wear an overdose detection and response wristband among PWUD in rural Appalachian Kentucky.Method Rural PWUD were recr…
Associations of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody positivity with opioid, stimulant, and polysubstance injection among people who inject drugs (PWID) in rural U.S. communities
HCV antibody positivity, indicating prior exposure, was highest among those who had recently injected opioids, alone or with stimulants. Additional nucleic acid testing is necessary to confirm active infection. More research is needed to determine the underlying causes of HCV antibody positivity by injection use
“I'm tired of seeing my friends die”
PURPOSE: Participation in clinical trials among people who use drugs (PWUD) in rural areas remains disproportionately low compared to those in urban communities. Our objective was to describe the barriers and facilitators to clinical trial participation among this understudied and underserved population. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews among rural PWUD in Kentucky, Ohio, and Oregon. Using the Ickovics and Meisler framewo…
The effectiveness of the communities that Heal intervention on reducing non-fatal opioid overdoses
Likelihood of using a harm reduction vending machine among rural people who inject drugs in Appalachian Kentucky
Prevalence and correlates of multiple injections per injection episode among people who inject drugs in rural U.S. communities
Changing Trends in Nonmedical Gabapentin Use Among a Cohort of Rural Appalachian People Who Use Drugs
Rapid jail-based implementation of overdose education and naloxone distribution in response to the Covid-19 pandemic
Syringe reuse among people who inject drugs in rural Appalachian Kentucky
Potential impact of curative and preventive interventions toward hepatitis C elimination in people who inject drugs–A network modeling study
DAA treatments are effective in reducing both prevalence and incidence of HCV infection in PWID, but preventive interventions play a significant role in reducing incidence when intervention coverage is low. Increasing coverage, including efforts in reaching individuals with the most injection partners, preventing reinfection, and improving compliance and retention in preventive services can substantially improve the outcomes. PWID network charact…
The War on Drugs, Racialized Capitalism, and Health Care Utilization Among White People Who Use Drugs in 22 Rural Appalachian Counties
Objectives. To analyze War on Drugs encounters and their relationships to health care utilization among White people who use drugs (PWUD) in 22 Appalachian rural counties in Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina. Methods. We recruited White PWUD using chain referral sampling in 2018 to 2020. Surveys asked about criminal–legal encounters, unmet health care needs, and other covariates. We used generalized estimating equations to regress…
Medicaid Policy and Hepatitis C Treatment Among Rural People Who Use Drugs
BACKGROUND: Restrictive Medicaid policies regarding hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment may exacerbate rural health care disparities for people who use drugs (PWUD). We assessed associations between Medicaid restrictions and HCV treatment among rural PWUD. METHODS: We compiled state-specific Medicaid treatment policies across 8 US rural sites in 10 states and merged these with participant survey data. We hypothesized that local restrictions regardi…
Covid and the common good
Vaccination is a social act, where benefits spill-over to third parties. How we approach such social decisions is influenced by whether likely beneficiaries share salient social identities with us. This study explores these dynamics using representative survey data from two contexts: national identity groups in Wales (N = 4187) and political partisans in America (N = 4864). In both cases, those in the minority in their local area were less likely…
Barriers to opioid use disorder treatment among people who use drugs in the rural United States
A qualitative analysis of rural syringe service program fidelity in Appalachian Kentucky
PURPOSE: As drug-related epidemics have expanded from cities to rural areas, syringe service programs (SSPs) and other harm reduction programs have been slow to follow. The recent implementation of SSPs in rural areas demands attention to program fidelity based on core components of SSP success. METHODS: Semistructured interviews conducted with clients and staff at 5 SSPs in 5 counties within 2 Central Appalachian health districts. Interviews cov…
Correlates of Recent HIV Testing Among People Who Inject Drugs in Rural Areas
Latent Class Analysis of Online Platforms for Partner-Seeking and Sexual Behaviors Among Men Who Have Sex with Men from Central Kentucky
Covid and the coalfield
The legacy of coal-mining's decline presents barriers to public health campaigns. We show evidence of this across two historically significant coalfields. Attention is needed to avert negative public health consequences of global energy transition
Capacity for sustainment of recently established syringe service programs in Appalachian Kentucky
Attitudes toward pharmacy‐based HCV/HIV testing among people who use drugs in rural Kentucky
PURPOSE: Rural areas of the United States have experienced outbreaks of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among people who use drugs (PWUD). Pharmacy-based interventions may play a crucial role in prevention and entry into care, especially when traditional health care access is limited. The willingness of rural PWUD to use pharmacies for HIV/HCV-related services remains unknown. The purpose of this study wa…
Recent Increase in Methamphetamine Use in a Cohort of Rural People Who Use Drugs
Appalachian Kentucky was at the epicenter of the prescription opioid epidemic in the early 2000's. As we enter the third decade of the epidemic, patterns have begun to emerge as people who use drugs (PWUD) transition from use of opioids to other drugs. The purpose of this analysis was to examine longitudinal changes in methamphetamine use in an ongoing cohort of rural people who use drugs (PWUD) in Appalachian Kentucky. All but five of the cohort…
Dismantling War on Drugs Policies in Covid-19’s Aftermath
OxyContin(R) as currency
Covid and the coalfield
The legacy of coal-mining's decline presents barriers to public health campaigns. We show evidence of this across two historically significant coalfields. Attention is needed to avert negative public health consequences of global energy transition
Assessing the Geographic Coverage and Spatial Clustering of Illicit Drug Users Recruited through Respondent-Driven Sampling in New York City
The War on Drugs, Racialized Capitalism, and Health Care Utilization Among White People Who Use Drugs in 22 Rural Appalachian Counties
Objectives. To analyze War on Drugs encounters and their relationships to health care utilization among White people who use drugs (PWUD) in 22 Appalachian rural counties in Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina. Methods. We recruited White PWUD using chain referral sampling in 2018 to 2020. Surveys asked about criminal–legal encounters, unmet health care needs, and other covariates. We used generalized estimating equations to regress…
Using Network and Spatial Data to Better Target Overdose Prevention Strategies in Rural Appalachia
Barriers to opioid use disorder treatment among people who use drugs in the rural United States
Spatial, temporal and relational patterns in respondent-driven sampling
BACKGROUND: Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) has become a common tool for recruiting high-risk populations for HIV research. However, few studies have explored the influence of geospatial proximity and relationship-level characteristics on RDS recruitment, particularly among high-risk individuals residing in rural areas of the US. METHODS: In a social network study of 503 drug users in rural Central Appalachia, interviewer-administered questionna…
Predictors of Consistent Condom Use Among Young African American Women
Network Structure and the Risk for HIV Transmission Among Rural Drug Users
OxyContin(R) as currency
Correlates of Haart adherence among immigrant Latinos in the southeastern United States
We explored the relationships between sociocultural and psychological constructs and adherence to antiretroviral therapy among predominantly Spanish-speaking immigrant Latinos in the southeastern United States. A cross-sectional clinic-based sample of immigrant Latino men and women participated in an interviewer-administered assessment. Self-reported prevalence of adherence was assessed along with demographic characteristics, acculturation, physi…
HIV vaccine acceptability among high-risk drug users in Appalachia
To our knowledge, this study was among the first to explore and provide evidence for feasibility of HIV vaccination in a rural, high-risk population in the United States. This study provides preliminary evidence that gender-specific targeting in vaccine promotion may be necessary to promoting vaccine uptake in this setting, particularly among men. The data also underscore the importance of addressing perceived risks and benefits, social norms, an…
Drug Users’ Willingness to Encourage Social, Sexual, and Drug Network Members to Receive an HIV Vaccine
Spatial, temporal and relational patterns in respondent-driven sampling
BACKGROUND: Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) has become a common tool for recruiting high-risk populations for HIV research. However, few studies have explored the influence of geospatial proximity and relationship-level characteristics on RDS recruitment, particularly among high-risk individuals residing in rural areas of the US. METHODS: In a social network study of 503 drug users in rural Central Appalachia, interviewer-administered questionna…
Relationship-level analysis of drug users' anticipated changes in risk behavior following HIV vaccination
Formative research into the behavioral factors surrounding HIV vaccine uptake is becoming increasingly important as progress is made in HIV vaccine development. Given that the first vaccines on the market are likely to be partially effective, risk compensation (i.e., increased risk behavior following vaccination) may present a concern. This study characterized the relationships in which HIV vaccine-related risk compensation is most likely to occu…
Assessing the Geographic Coverage and Spatial Clustering of Illicit Drug Users Recruited through Respondent-Driven Sampling in New York City
Individual and Network Correlates of Antisocial Personality Disorder Among Rural Nonmedical Prescription Opioid Users
PURPOSE: Examination of the association of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) with substance use and HIV risk behaviors within the social networks of rural people who use drugs. METHODS: Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to assess substance use, HIV risk behavior, and social network characteristics of drug users (n = 503) living in rural Appalachia. The MINI International Psychiatric Interview was used to determine whether par…
Healthcare contact and treatment uptake following hepatitis C virus screening and counseling among rural Appalachian people who use drugs
Silence Surrounding Hepatitis C Status in Risk Relationships Among Rural People Who Use Drugs
Incarceration history and risk of HIV and hepatitis C virus acquisition among people who inject drugs
Privacy, Confidentiality, and Safety Considerations for Conducting Geographic Momentary Assessment Studies Among Persons Who Use Drugs and Men Who Have Sex with Men
Using Network and Spatial Data to Better Target Overdose Prevention Strategies in Rural Appalachia
Rural risk environments for hepatitis c among young adults in appalachian kentucky
Syringe Service Program Utilization, Barriers, and Preferences for Design in Rural Appalachia
Background People who inject drugs (PWID) in rural areas of the United States have had limited access to syringe service programs (SSP). Rural SSP have recently surged, but accompanying research is lacking about PWID utilization, barriers, and preferences for SSP design and how those preferences vary by gender. Methods: Interviewer-administered surveys elicited information about utilization, barriers, and preferences for SSP design from 234 PWID …
Buprenorphine dispensing in an epicenter of the U.S. opioid epidemic
Willingness to Participate in At-Home HIV Testing Among Young Adults Who Use Opioids in Rural Appalachia
Understanding rural risk environments for drug-related harms
Peer influence of injection drug use cessation among dyads in rural eastern Kentucky
People, places, and stigma
Privacy and confidentiality considerations for collecting HIV risk network data among men who have sex with men and implications for constructing valid risk networks
Modeling the role of incarceration in HCV transmission and prevention amongst people who inject drugs in rural Kentucky
Incarceration is likely to be an important contributor to HCV transmission amongst PWID in PC. Prison-based OST could be an important intervention for reducing this risk
Capacity for sustainment of recently established syringe service programs in Appalachian Kentucky
Medicine (43 works) · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk (37 works) · Psychology (25 works) · Psychiatry (22 works) · Environmental health (21 works) · Opioid Use Disorder Treatment (20 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (18 works) · Demography (16 works) · Family medicine (16 works) · Geography (14 works)