Viral suppression and adherence in adolescents living with HIV in rural Tanzania.

Background: Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa are affected by poor treatment outcomes, likely a consequence of poor adherence.

Objectives: To assess viral suppression rates and evaluate factors associated with achieving viral suppression and maintaining treatment adherence among ALHIV in rural Tanzania.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Kilombero and Ulanga Antiretroviral Cohort in Ifakara, Tanzania, including adolescents aged 10-19 years on antiretroviral treatment (ART) ≥6 months at the time point of their first viral load (VL) measurement after implementation of routine VL testing from August 2017 through December 2023.

Resistance-informed versus empirical management of viraemia in children and adolescents with HIV in Lesotho and Tanzania (GIVE MOVE trial): a multisite, open-label randomised controlled trial.

Background: Children and adolescents with HIV taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) have high rates of viraemia. We assessed if genotypic resistance testing (GRT) to inform onward treatment improved treatment outcomes in Lesotho and Tanzania, two countries with little access to GRT.

Methods: The Genotype-Informed Versus Empirical Management of Viremia (GIVE MOVE) open-label, parallel-group randomised controlled trial enrolled children and adolescents with HIV between the ages of 6 months and 19 years, taking ART, and with a viral load at least 400 copies per mL.

Through the looking glass: empowering youth community advisory boards in Tanzania as a sustainable youth engagement model to inform policy and practice.

More young people are living in the world than ever before, 90% of whom reside in low and middle income countries (LMICs). To address their needs, it is critical to have sustainable youth engagement when determining policy and to advance effective implementation of youth-focused interventions. Youth Community Advisory Boards (CABs) are a sustainable mechanism to achieve this goal.

Body mass index trends and its impact of under and overweight on outcome among PLHIV on antiretroviral treatment in rural Tanzania: A prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Increased body weight is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is increasingly reported as a health problem in people living with HIV (PLHIV). There is limited data from rural sub-Saharan Africa, where malnutrition usually presents with both over- and undernutrition. We aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of underweight and overweight/obesity in PLHIV enrolled in a cohort in rural Tanzania before the introduction of integrase inhibitors.

Accuracy of a smartphone application for blood pressure estimation in Bangladesh, South Africa, and Tanzania.

Undetected and unmonitored hypertension carries substantial mortality and morbidity, especially during pregnancy. We assessed the accuracy of OptiBP, a smartphone application for estimating blood pressure (BP), across diverse settings. The study was conducted in community settings: Gaibandha, Bangladesh and Ifakara, Tanzania for general populations, and Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital, South Africa for pregnant populations.

Stigma-directed services (Stig2Health) to improve 'linkage to care' for people living with HIV in rural Tanzania: study protocol for a nested pre-post implementation study within the Kilombero and Ulanga Antiretroviral Cohort.

HIV-related stigma is a major barrier to the timely linkage and retention of patients in HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa, where most people living with HIV/AIDS reside. In this implementation study we aim to evaluate the effect of stigma-directed services on linkage to care and other health outcomes in newly diagnosed HIV-positive patients. : In a nested project of the Kilombero and Ulanga Antiretroviral Cohort in rural Tanzania, we conduct a prospective observational pre-post study to assess the impact of a bundle of stigma-directed services for newly diagnosed HIV positive patients.

The Chronic Diseases Clinic of Ifakara (CDCI)-Establishing a Model Clinic for Chronic Care Delivery in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa.

The rollout of antiretroviral drugs in sub-Saharan Africa to address the huge health impact of the HIV pandemic has been one of the largest projects undertaken in medical history and is an unprecedented medical success story. However, the path has been and still is characterized by many far reaching implementational challenges. Here, we report on the building and maintaining of a role model clinic in Ifakara, rural Southwestern Tanzania, within a collaborative project to support HIV services within the national program, training for staff and integrated research to better understand local needs and improve patients' outcomes.

Causes of death and associated factors over a decade of follow-up in a cohort of people living with HIV in rural Tanzania.

Background: Nearly half of HIV-related deaths occur in East and Southern Africa, yet data on causes of death (COD) are scarce. We determined COD and associated factors among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in rural Tanzania.

Methods: PLHIV attending the Chronic Diseases Clinic of Ifakara, Morogoro are invited to enrol in the Kilombero and Ulanga Antiretroviral Cohort (KIULARCO).

Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity Is Associated With Cardiorespiratory Fitness Among Primary Schoolchildren Living in Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa, and Tanzania.

Physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are independent cardiovascular risk factors among children, but have rarely been investigated concurrently in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this study was to compare physical activity (PA) and CRF of primary schoolchildren living in Côte d'Ivoire (CI), South Africa (ZA), and Tanzania (TZ), to test sex- and age-related differences, and to examine whether PA and CRF are associated with each other. Baseline data from an ongoing cluster-randomized controlled trial were used, including 499 children from CI (Taabo, 49% girls, = 8.

Genotype-Informed Versus Empiric Management Of VirEmia (GIVE MOVE): study protocol of an open-label randomised clinical trial in children and adolescents living with HIV in Lesotho and Tanzania.

Background: Globally, the majority of people living with HIV have no or only limited access to HIV drug resistance testing to guide the selection of antiretroviral drugs. This is of particular concern for children and adolescents, who experience high rates of treatment failure. The GIVE MOVE trial assesses the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of routinely providing genotypic resistance testing (GRT) to children and adolescents living with HIV who have an unsuppressed viral load (VL) while taking antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Effects of school-based physical activity and multi-micronutrient supplementation intervention on growth, health and well-being of schoolchildren in three African countries: the KaziAfya cluster randomised controlled trial protocol with a 2 × 2 factorial design.

Background: In low- and middle-income countries, infectious diseases remain a key public health issue. Additionally, non-communicable diseases are a rapidly growing public health problem that impose a considerable burden on population health. One way to address this dual disease burden, is to incorporate (lifestyle) health promotion measures within the education sector.

Brief Report: No HIV Transmission From Virally Suppressed Mothers During Breastfeeding in Rural Tanzania.

Background: To what extent antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) during breastfeeding remains unclear. We assessed the MTCT risk from mothers on ART to their infants during breastfeeding.

Setting: Ifakara, rural Tanzania.