Disclosure of HIV Status to Sexual Partners Among People With HIV in Singida Regional Referral Hospital of Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study.

HIV status nondisclosure to sexual partners remains a major challenge in Tanzania's health system. This hospital-based, descriptive, cross-sectional study design recruited 380 people living with HIV (PLWH) to assess voluntary HIV status disclosure to sexual partners, the associated factors, and outcomes among PLWH in Tanzania. Approximately 78% ( n = 297) of the study participants reported disclosing their HIV status to their sexual partners.

Engagement in Care, Awareness, and Interest in Long-Acting Injectable Anti-Retroviral Therapy.

Long Acting Injectable (LAI) therapy to treat HIV is an alternative to daily oral medications. The success of early roll-out of LAI to eligible patients requires a better understanding of patients' awareness and interest in this novel therapy. We administered an electronic survey to patients attending an urban HIV clinic in the US South.

Specialty Care Referral for Underrepresented Minorities Living with HIV in the United States: Experiences, Barriers, and Facilitators.

The increased incidence of chronic diseases among people with HIV (PWH) is poised to increase the need for specialty care outside of HIV treatment settings. To reduce outcome disparities for HIV-associated comorbidities in the United States, it is critical to optimize access to and the quality of specialty care for underrepresented racial and ethnic minority (URM) individuals with HIV. We explored the experiences of URM individuals with HIV and other comorbidities in the specialty care setting during their initial and follow-up appointments.

Safety and immunogenicity of varied doses of R21/Matrix-M™ vaccine at three years follow-up: A phase 1b age de-escalation, dose-escalation trial in adults, children, and infants in Kilifi-Kenya.

Background: Falciparum malaria remains a global health problem. Two vaccines, based on the circumsporozoite antigen, are available. RTS, S/AS01 was recommended for use in 2021 following the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization and WHO Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG).

Nurse-Led Strategy to Improve Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Level Among People With HIV: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Despite higher atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk, people with HIV (PWH) experience unique barriers to ASCVD prevention, such as changing models of HIV primary care.

Objective: To test whether a multicomponent nurse-led strategy would improve systolic blood pressure (SBP) and non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level in a diverse population of PWH receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial enrolled PWH at 3 academic HIV clinics in the US from September 2019 to January 2022 and conducted follow-up for 12 months until January 2023.

A Quantitative Framework for Medication Non-Adherence: Integrating Patient Treatment Expectations and Preferences.

Introduction: Medication non-adherence remains a significant challenge in healthcare, impacting treatment outcomes and the overall effectiveness of medical interventions. This article introduces a novel approach to understanding and predicting medication non-adherence by integrating patient beliefs, efficacy expectations, and perceived costs. Existing theoretical models often fall short in quantifying the impact of barrier removal on medication adherence and struggle to address cases where patients consciously choose not to follow prescribed medication regimens.

A world of choices: preference elicitation methods for improving the delivery and uptake of HIV prevention and treatment.

Purpose Of Review: Despite the growing availability of effective HIV prevention and treatment interventions, there are large gaps in their uptake and sustained use across settings. It is crucial to elicit and apply patients' and stakeholders' preferences to maximize the impact of existing and future interventions. This review summarizes quantitative preference elicitation methods (PEM) and how they can be applied to improve the delivery and uptake of HIV prevention and treatment interventions.

Black and White Patients With Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia Have Similar Outcomes but Different Risk Factors.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) disproportionately affects Black patients. The reasons for this disparity are unclear.

Methods: We evaluated a prospectively ascertained cohort of patients with SAB from 1995 to 2020.

Patient-Preference Diagnostics: Adapting Stated-Preference Methods to Inform Effective Shared Decision Making.

Background: While clinical practice guidelines underscore the need to incorporate patient preferences in clinical decision making, incorporating meaningful assessment of patient preferences in clinical encounters is challenging. Structured approaches that combine quantitative patient preferences and clinical evidence could facilitate effective patient-provider communication and more patient-centric health care decisions. Adaptive conjoint or stated-preference approaches can identify individual preference parameters, but they can require a relatively large number of choice questions or simplifying assumptions about the error with which preferences are elicited.

Food insecurity among university students in the United States amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: This study reports on food insecurity (FI) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants And Methods: College students in four regions of the US completed the two-item validated Hunger Vital Sign™ screening tool on Qualtrics.

Results: FI increased significantly after March 2020 among US students (worry about food running out: 25% to 35%; food did not last: 17% to 21%) with significant regional increase in the Midwest and South.

Perspectives of HIV specialists and cardiologists on the specialty referral process for people living with HIV: a qualitative descriptive study.

Background: Cardiology care may be beneficial for risk factor management in people living with HIV (PLWH), yet limited information is available about the referral process from the perspectives of HIV specialists and cardiologists.

Methods: We conducted 28 qualitative interviews at academic medical centers in the United States from December 2019 to February 2020 using components of the Specialty Referral Process Framework: referral decision, entry into referral care, and care integration. We analyzed the data using applied thematic analysis.

Predictors of Self-repackaging of Antiretroviral Therapy in Northern Tanzania.

In this study, we explored determinants of "researcher-observed" patient-initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) repackaging practices among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Northern Tanzania. We used a quasi-experimental design to describe the prevalence of ART self- repackaging; we conducted face-to-face surveys to determine factors associated with ART self- repackaging practices. Data collection sites included the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre and the Mawenzi Referral Hospital.

Correlates of Blood Pressure Awareness, Treatment, and Control Among Adults 50 Years or Older by HIV Status in Northwestern Tanzania.

Purpose Of Review: The objective of this study was to describe the increasing incidence and risk of cardiovascular disease among persons living with HIV (PLWH) in Sub-Saharan Africa. We also used data to compare hypertension (a common NCD among PLWH) outcomes between PLWH and HIV-uninfected individuals among older adults in Northwestern Tanzania.

Recent Findings: Hypertension is increasingly common in Sub-Saharan Africa and a leading cause of cardiovascular disease for PLWH.

Is lack of health insurance a predictor of worsening of heart failure among adult patients attending referral hospitals in Northwestern Tanzania?

Introduction: Health insurance coverage is critical for persons living with chronic conditions such as heart failure. Lack of health insurance may affect the ability to access regular healthcare appointments, pay for medication refills which can result in frequent hospitalization that is associated with poor clinical outcomes. In scarce resource locations such as sub-Saharan Africa, where uptake of health insurance is still suboptimal, the effect of health insurance on chronic conditions such as heart failure is poorly understood.

Caregiver Acceptability of Mobile Phone Use for Pediatric Cancer Care in Tanzania: Cross-sectional Questionnaire Study.

Background: There is a 60% survival gap between children diagnosed with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and those in high-income countries. Low caregiver knowledge about childhood cancer and its treatment results in presentation delays and subsequent treatment abandonment in LMICs. However, in-person education to improve caregiver knowledge can be challenging due to health worker shortages and inadequate training.

Patient perspectives on the helpfulness of a community health worker program for HIV care engagement in Tanzania.

Task-shifting is a valuable approach for redistributing clinical tasks to nonprofessional health workers and relieving human resource shortages. The Community-Based HIV Services (CBHS) program is a national cohort of volunteer community health workers (CHWs) who support HIV care engagement at clinics in Tanzania. We recruited 23 patients initiating HIV care at two clinics to understand their experiences with the CBHS program.

PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON STUDENTS AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING.

Students at higher institutions of learning are more susceptible to psychosocial problems compared to the general public. These may further be exacerbated by the measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19. This mixed methods study examined the factors associated with the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on students' financial stability, interpersonal relationships and worries related to achieving academic milestones.

Assessing the Influence of Community Health Worker Support on Early Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence, Anticipated Stigma, and Mental Health Among People Living with HIV in Tanzania.

In many low- and middle-income countries, community health workers (CHWs) support multiple aspects of HIV care, including patient education and counseling, adherence support, and re-engaging patients lost to care. In Tanzania, the Community-Based HIV Services program is a nationwide cohort of CHWs supporting HIV care engagement. We enrolled a prospective cohort study of 80 people initiating HIV care at two Tanzanian clinics and conducted baseline and 3-month follow-up assessments to examine the potential influence of CHW support and other factors on patient early self-reported medication adherence, depression, anxiety, attitudes about medication, and HIV stigma.

Understanding constraints on integrated care for people with HIV and multimorbid cardiovascular conditions: an application of the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Background: People with HIV (PWH) experience increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Many PWH in the USA receive their primary medical care from infectious disease specialists in HIV clinics. HIV care teams may not be fully prepared to provide evidence-based CVD care.

Perspectives of Chronic Disease Management Among Persons with HIV: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Persons with HIV (PWH) are living to advanced age as a result of ART. These epidemiological changes highlight the importance of innovating chronic care delivery of PWH, but there is limited research regarding patient preferences for chronic care delivery.

Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews of 20 PWH who receive care at the Duke Infectious Diseases Clinic.

Why Do People Living with HIV Adhere to Antiretroviral Therapy and Not Comorbid Cardiovascular Disease Medications? A Qualitative Inquiry.

Background: After achieving viral suppression, it is critical for persons living with HIV (PLWH) to focus on prevention of non-AIDS comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) in order to enhance their quality of life and longevity of life. Despite PLWH elevated risk of developing CVD compared to individuals without HIV, PLWH do not often meet evidence-based treatment goals for CVD prevention; the reasons for PLWH not meeting guideline recommendations are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with adherence to CVD medications for PLWH who have achieved viral suppression.

Renal abnormalities and its associated factors among school-aged children living in endemic communities in Northwestern Tanzania.

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, renal abnormalities are a major public health concern, especially in children living in endemic areas. However, there is a dearth of data on renal abnormalities among children living in endemic areas. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of renal abnormalities among school children in a endemic community in Northwestern Tanzania.

Using geographic information systems to characterize food environments around historically black colleges and universities: Implications for nutrition interventions.

To understand the distribution of healthy and unhealthy food stores near historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Using ArcGIS Pros network analysis tools and ReferenceUSA database, this study characterized the healthy (favorable) and unhealthy (unfavorable) retail food stores within a 5-mile radius, 15-min driving, and 15-min walking distance from each HBCU in North Carolina. Most retail food stores within a 5-mile buffer radius of the 10 HBCUs in North Carolina were unfavorable.