Background: Retention in HIV care is the constancy of engagement in HIV treatment, care and support services which is essential to reducing morbidity and mortality associated with the infection as well as halting the development of resistance to antiretroviral therapy (ART). In most African countries, Nigeria inclusive, men who have sex with men (MSM) are major contributors to HIV/AIDS burden. HIV-positive MSM are generally understudied and mostly underserved due to social, political and legislation factors resulting in limited characterization and documentation of the existing health disparities particularly with regards to retention in HIV care. It was against this backdrop that we conducted this study to assess the level of retention in HIV care and its predictors among MSM linked to HIV care.
Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted among 114 HIV-positive MSM in 2019 using interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using version 7 of Epi Info statistical software version 7 and a probability value of less than 0.05 used as the cut-off for drawing statistically significant conclusion.
Results: The average age in years of the respondents was 26.0 ± 5.4 while 43 (37.7%) of the participants were adequately retained in HIV care. Adequate retention in HIV care was found to be predicted by awareness of regular male partner's HIV status (AOR = 11.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.924-65.167) and financial difficulty (AOR = 0.1; 95% CI = 0.022-0.840).
Conclusions: A suboptimal level of retention in HIV care was demonstrated in the study with awareness of male partner's HIV status and financial buoyancy as its main predictors.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8144791 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1748_20 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
January 2025
School of Public Health and Social Sciences, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Background: Adherence to HIV treatment regimens involves the consistent and correct intake of all prescribed medications. The implementation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) program has significantly reduced mortality among adolescents living with HIV. However, adherence to ART is lower among adolescents compared to other sub-populations and even lower in sub-Saharan Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Assoc Nurses AIDS Care
January 2025
Levin Chetty, PhD, MMSHSC, SPTSHB, B-SPS, is an Academic Researcher, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, South Africa.
Well-established, regular exercise interventions for older people living with HIV (OPLWH) are beneficial. However, the fundamental principles of exercise prescription for this population have not been sufficiently explored. An expert panel of health care professionals engaged in a modified Delphi technique to explore their perceptions of, and gain their consensus on, an exercise prescription framework for OPLWH in a resource-poor South African setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Public Health
January 2025
CDC Project Regional HIV Case Surveillance Coordinator, Public Health Emergency Management Directorate, South Ethiopia Region Health Bureau Public Health Institute, Jinka, Ethiopia.
Background: Gender defined as the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and characteristics that society deems appropriate for men, women, and other gender identities. Inequitable gender norms promote male dominance and aggressiveness while portraying women as being subservient. Ensuring equitable gender norms is a prerequisite for achieving gender equality in a society.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Glob Public Health
January 2025
Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Background: Under South Africa's Universal Test and Treat (UTT) policy, CD4 counts are no longer required to determine HIV treatment eligibility. However, CD4 count at presentation remains an important marker of disease progression. We assessed whether CD4 testing declined in the UTT era and, if so, by how much.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Pregnancy Childbirth
January 2025
Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, 3980 15th Ave NE, Box 351619, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is a leading cause of neonatal mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where 40% of global neonatal deaths occur. We identified and combined demographic, clinical, and psychosocial correlates of PTB among Kenyan women to develop a risk score.
Methods: We used data from a prospective study enrolling HIV-negative women from 20 antenatal clinics in Western Kenya (NCT03070600).
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!