Purpose: Tanzania is the fifth country with the highest sickle cell disease (SCD) prevalence globally. Although hydroxyurea (HU) is available, only 25% of persons with SCD are reported to use it in Tanzania. Perceived disease threat is associated with medication usage in patients with chronic diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To evaluate the effect of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention on early retention of female sex workers in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis services in the United Republic of Tanzania.
Methods: The study involved 783 female sex workers: 470 from Dar es Salaam who were given the mHealth application (app) in addition to standard HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (intervention arm), and 313 from Tanga who received pre-exposure prophylaxis alone (control arm). Participants were recruited using respondent-driven sampling and followed up for 12 months.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a drug with the power to prevent HIV transmission. This study delved into the broader implications of PrEP use among female sex workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, a group disproportionately affected by HIV and socio-structural challenges. Through 46 in-depth interviews with 40 women who were either former or current PrEP users or intended to start PrEP between January 2021 and February 2022, we sought to explore the nuanced effects of PrEP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective HIV prevention tool when taken as prescribed. However, suboptimal use may challenge its real-life impact. To support female sex workers in their efforts to prevent themselves from HIV, it is essential to identify factors that contribute to early disengagement from PrEP care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Increasing access to smartphones in sub-Saharan Africa offers an opportunity to leverage mobile health (mHealth) technology to improve access to health care in underserved populations. In the domain of HIV prevention, mHealth interventions can potentially contribute to solving the challenges of suboptimal adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and low retention in PrEP services among populations most vulnerable to HIV acquisition. However, there is a gap in the knowledge about the use of such interventions in sub-Saharan Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBased on ethnographic fieldwork among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Tanzania, this article explores the various types of work that may go into enrolment into PrEP programming and using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP protects against HIV acquisition and is widely touted as an essential tool in 'ending AIDS by 2030'. While taking PrEP has often been portrayed as 'just taking a pill a day' in public health campaigns, a striking observation during fieldwork was that enrolling in PrEP programming and adhering to PrEP involved a wide range of tasks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Same-sex attracted men in Tanzania and globally carry a disproportionate burden of HIV. Drawing on qualitative research, this article explores healthcare providers' ideas and recommendations regarding how to improve HIV prevention among same-sex attracted men.
Methods: We carried out a qualitative study among healthcare workers in the cities of Dar es Salaam and Tanga in Tanzania between August 2018 and October 2019.
Background: Mobile health (mHealth) applications have been reported to be effective in promoting access and adherence to health services. However, knowledge about their effect on retention in HIV preventive services among at-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa is limited.
Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effect of the mHealth application on retention in HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services among female sex workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Harmful alcohol use is an important risk factor for premature mortality and morbidity and associated with increased HIV risk and lower uptake of and adherence to HIV interventions. This study aimed to assess the extent of harmful alcohol use and associated socio-structural vulnerability factors among female sex workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, a key population in the HIV epidemic. Data from a study of female sex workers initiating pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) recruited through respondent driven sampling were used.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care
August 2022
An increasing body of literature focuses on access to healthcare services for men who engage in sex with other men in Africa, but how healthcare workers conceive of this topic of healthcare workers' views on men's care has not been much studied. Drawing on qualitative research, this article explores healthcare providers' perspectives on access to HIV-related healthcare services among gender and sexuality diverse men in Tanzania. A qualitative study was conducted among healthcare workers in Dar es Salaam and Tanga, Tanzania in 2018/2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is evidence that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective in preventing HIV transmission, and PrEP is recommended by the World Health organization (WHO) for use by individuals at high risk of HIV infection. However, low adherence has been reported to hamper its effectiveness. Some evidence indicates that mHealth interventions may be a promising way of promoting PrEP adherence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: People who inject drugs (PWID) in Sub-Saharan Africa have limited access to comprehensive HIV services. While it is important to inform programming, knowledge about factors influencing access to comprehensive HIV services is scarce. We assessed the proportions of PWID with access to HIV prevention services and associated socio-cognitive factors in Tanzania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUse of HIV testing services among FSW in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is below the desired UNAIDS target of 90%. We estimated the prevalence and factors associated with HIV testing among FSW in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A respondent-driven sampling method was used to recruit FSW aged 18.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is limited evidence in Africa on the design and development of mobile health (mHealth) applications to guide best practices and ensure effectiveness. A pragmatic trial for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis roll-out among key populations in Tanzania is needed.
Objective: We present the results of the development of a mobile app (Jichunge) intended to promote adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM) and female sex workers (FSW) in Tanzania.
Background: Patient-accessible electronic health records (PAEHRs) enable patients to access their health records through a secure connection over the internet. Although previous studies of patient experiences with this kind of service have shown that a majority of users are positive toward PAEHRs, little is known about why some patients occasionally or regularly choose not to use them. A better understanding of why patients may choose not to make use of digital health services such as PAEHRs is important for further development and implementation of services aimed at having patients participate in digital health services.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrawing on first-hand fieldwork experiences, conversations and interviews, this paper describes and analyses the violent attack on a GALZ event in Zimbabwe in 2014. A gang of unidentifiable men stormed the event and assaulted those present. The paper explores this attack on the LGBTI community in Zimbabwe as a sign, drawing on Peirce's theorizing of signs as triadic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrawing on ethnographic research, this paper explores self-understandings among same-sex attracted men in Harare along with the local terms such men use to refer to themselves as well as their adoption and modification of globally circulating sexual identity labels. All study participants related to some of the labels that are prominent in the present-day, western-inspired global discourse on same-sex relations. However, they were rarely understood in the exact same way that is represented as typical in the 'west', indicating that when understandings and labels travel, they are not simply copied and pasted into new contexts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrawing on qualitative research in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, this article explores how men who engage in sex with other men perceive their interactions with healthcare providers, and how they would prefer healthcare services to be organised and delivered. The paper describes the strengths and weaknesses men associate with private and public healthcare; the advantages and disadvantages they associate with dedicated clinics for sexual minority persons; what they conceive of as good healthcare services; and how they would characterise a good healthcare worker. The paper also presents recommendations made by study participants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Prevalence of HIV infection among people who inject drugs (PWID) has been reported to be higher than that of the general population. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HIV infection and associated risk factors among PWID in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, following the introduction of a comprehensive HIV intervention package (CHIP) for PWID in the country in 2014.
Methods: We conducted an integrated bio-behavioral survey (IBBS) among PWID using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, between October and December 2017.
Background: Late diagnosis of prostate cancer is common in low and middle income countries and contributes to high morbidity and mortality of the disease. Utilization of prostate cancer screening services plays a major role in prevention of adverse outcomes. However, there is limited information on the knowledge about, the perceived risk of, and the utilization of prostate cancer screening in Tanzania.
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