Publications by authors named "Jonathan A Edwards"
Background: The convergence of infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases in South Africa is challenging to health systems. In this analysis, we assessed the multimorbidity health needs of individuals and communities in rural KwaZulu-Natal and established a framework to quantify met and unmet health needs for individuals living with infectious and non-communicable diseases.
Methods: We analysed data collected between May 25, 2018, and March 13, 2020, from participants of a large, community-based, cross-sectional multimorbidity survey (Vukuzazi) that offered community-based HIV, hypertension, and diabetes screening to all residents aged 15 years or older in a surveillance area in the uMkhanyakude district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Background: Food insecurity has been linked to suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence in persons with HIV (PWH). This association has not been evaluated using tenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP) in dried blood spots (DBSs), a biomarker of cumulative ART adherence and exposure.
Methods: Within a prospective South African cohort of treatment-naive PWH initiating ART, a subset of participants with measured TFV-DP in DBS values was assessed for food insecurity status.
Article Synopsis
- * Of the 18,041 adult participants screened, 55% had at least one chronic condition, and 50% of these individuals had unmet health needs, with varying levels of unmet needs across the different diseases.
- * The findings highlight that while HIV is mostly well-controlled, significant unmet health needs exist for hypertension and diabetes, suggesting a need to adapt healthcare models to better integrate services for both infectious and non-communicable diseases.