Impact of integrating HIV and TB care and treatment in a regional tuberculosis hospital in rural Guatemala.

Resource-limited settings have made slow progress in integrating TB and HIV care for co-infected patients. We examined the impact of integrated TB/HIV care on clinical and survival outcomes in rural western Guatemala. Prospective data from 254 newly diagnosed TB/HIV patients (99 enrolled in the pre-integrated program from August 2005 to July 2006, and 155 enrolled in the integrated program from February 2008 to January 2009) showed no significant baseline differences between clients in the two periods.

Demographic and health surveys indicate limited impact of condoms and HIV testing in four African countries.

Condom promotion and HIV testing for the general population have been major components of HIV prevention efforts in sub-Saharan Africa's high prevalence HIV epidemics, although little evidence documents their public health impact. Recent enhancements to the large, population-based demographic and health surveys (DHS) and AIDS information surveys (AIS) allow use of these data to assess the population-wide impact of these strategies. We analysed the latest DHS and AIS data from four sub-Saharan African countries with high prevalence, heterosexually transmitted HIV epidemics (Côte d'Ivoire, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia; N = 48 298) to answer two questions: 1) Are men and women who use condoms less likely to be HIV-infected than those who do not?; and 2) Are men and women who report knowing their HIV status more likely to use condoms than those who do not? Consistent condom use was associated with lower HIV infection rates for Swazi men but with higher HIV infection rates for women in Tanzania and Zambia; it made no significant difference in the other five sex/country subgroups analysed.

Prevention messages and AIDS risk behavior in Kampala, Uganda.

Uganda was one of the first countries to substantially reduce HIV rates through behavior change, but these gains have not continued in recent years. Little is known about what messages Ugandans are currently hearing about AIDS prevention, what they themselves believe to be important prevention strategies, and how these beliefs are associated with behavior. We interviewed men and women aged between 20 and 39 in two poor peri-urban areas of Kampala, using a random sample, cross-sectional household survey design.

Multiple sexual partnerships among poor urban dwellers in Kampala, Uganda.

Background: This study examined 2 issues of current importance for AIDS prevention in Uganda: the frequency of multiple sexual partnerships and whether optimistic perceptions about the severity of AIDS are associated with riskier sexual behavior.

Methods: Four hundred five men and women aged 20-39 from 2 poor neighborhoods of Kampala were interviewed about their sexual behavior over the prior 6 months and about other partners during current relationships. They also completed a 7-item scale measuring perception of the severity of HIV/AIDS.

Family structure and adolescent sexual behavior in a poor area of São Paulo, Brazil.

Purpose: In Brazil, as elsewhere, behavior during adolescence can place young people at risk for serious medical and social problems, including sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy, drugs, crime, and violence. Few studies internationally have examined the influence of family structure on risk behavior among low-income youths.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 296 young people in one of the poorest areas of São Paulo who were recruited through a vocational school and completed an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire.

Developing an AIDS prevention intervention for incarcerated male adolescents in Brazil.

The objective of this study was to investigate knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding AIDS among incarcerated male adolescents in Brazil and to develop an AIDS prevention intervention for this population. A questionnaire administered to 275 boys in São Paulo covered demographic and social characteristics, drugs, and HIV risk perception and behavior. Subsequently, we collected qualitative data on the development and implementation of a prevention program.