Barriers and facilitators to implementing six monthly multi-month dispensing of antiretroviral therapy in two urban HIV clinics during the COVID-19 Era in Malawi.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malawi Government released a policy that promoted the scale-up of six-monthly multi-month dispensing (6-MMD) of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to people living with HIV in order to decrease congestion at health facilities and transmission of COVID-19. We evaluated the barriers and facilitators to implementing the scale-up of 6-MMD.We conducted a cross-sectional study and collected quantitative and qualitative data from 13 January 2022 to 5 February 2022 at two high-volume primary health facilities in urban Blantyre, Malawi.

HIV prevention and treatment cascades among female sex workers in Ghana: gaps and priorities that should be addressed by the national programme.

Background: There is currently limited knowledge about HIV prevention and treatment cascades among female sex workers (FSW) in Ghana. This study sought to use the 2020 bio-behavioural survey (BBS) among FSWs to identify gaps and priorities in HIV treatment and prevention cascades to help achieve the 95-95-95 fast track targets.

Method: The study used a cross-sectional design with Time Location Sampling (TLS) technique in all regions of Ghana.

Incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in persons living with HIV initiated on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral regimen in Ghana: an observational longitudinal study.

Background: Few studies have reported hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis in patients on dolutegravir (DTG) treatment. This study determined the effect of DTG on fasting blood glucose levels in a cohort of persons living with HIV (PLHIV) in Ghana and initiating DTG regimens.

Methods: A two-year observational longitudinal cohort study conducted from 12th October 2020 to 31st December 2022.

The role of parent-adolescent communication interventions in improving sexual and reproductive health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Across sub-Saharan Africa, adolescents face the triple tragedy: unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortion, and sexually transmitted infections including HIV due to various reasons, among them, poor parent-adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health. Effective interventions such as improving parent‒adolescent communication has been recognized as a protective factor for adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Research shows that parent-adolescent communication is associated with reduced adolescent engagement in risky sexual behaviours, including early sexual initiation, lower rates of teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and increased self-efficacy in decision making.