HIV self-testing: breaking the barriers to uptake of testing among men and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, experiences from STAR demonstration projects in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Introduction: Social, structural and systems barriers inhibit uptake of HIV testing. HIV self-testing (HIVST) has shown promising uptake by otherwise underserved priority groups including men, young people and first-time testers. Here, we use characteristics of HIVST kit recipients to investigate delivery to these priority groups during HIVST scale-up in three African countries.

Effect of computer-assisted interviewing on self-reported sexual behavior data in a microbicide clinical trial.

In a microbicide safety and effectiveness trial (HPTN 035) in Malawi, 585 women completed the same questionnaire through a face-to-face interview (FTFI) and an audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI). Concordance between FTFI and ACASI responses ranged from 72.0 % for frequency of sex in the past week to 95.

The effect of human immunodeficiency virus and breastfeeding on the nutritional status of African children.

Background: The risk of HIV-1 infection is high among breast-fed children in sub-Saharan Africa. Monitoring the nutritional status can provide useful information to determine the effect of HIV infection and breast-feeding on child growth and development. We longitudinally assessed the nutritional status and determined its association with HIV infection and breast-feeding among Malawian children.

Fertility intentions of HIV-1 infected and uninfected women in Malawi: a longitudinal study.

This study aimed to determine changes in fertility intentions of HIV-1 infected and uninfected reproductive age women in Blantyre, Malawi. Participants were asked about their fertility intentions at baseline and at 3-month visits for 1 year. Time-to-event statistical models were used to determine factors associated with changes in fertility intentions.

The role of men in women's acceptance of an intravaginal gel in a randomized clinical trial in Blantyre, Malawi: a qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Survey questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to investigate the association between a female participant's acceptance and her perception of her male partner's acceptance of an intravaginal gel as a prototype microbicide. Women who perceived their male partners would accept using the gel were more likely to highly accept the gel as compared to women who perceived their male partners would not accept using the gel (OR=24.57; 95%CI: 16.