Voices from the frontlines: the epidemics of HIV/AIDS and violence among women and girls

Engaging Canadians in evidence-based communication about vaccines: a scoping review protocol of immunisation support programs in Canada

OBJECTIVE

To identify, characterise and map the existing knowledge about (1) immunisation programmes that provide evidence-based support about vaccines to Canadians and reduce barriers to vaccination; and (2) barriers and facilitators to the delivery of immunisation support programmes.

INTRODUCTION

Vaccine hesitancy is a complex issue that has significant repercussions for the health and safety of Canadians. Engaging in evidence-based communication about vaccines can reduce vaccine hesitancy and increase participation in immunisation programmes.

METHODS

The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews will be used for this scoping review. A comprehensive keyword search strategy was developed and translated for six electronic databases on 19 November 2021: CINAHL via EBSCOhost, APA PsycINFO via EBSCOhost, Academic Search Complete via EBSCOhost, Scopus, Medline via EBSCOhost and EmCare via Ovid. We will identify unpublished literature by searching websites listed in CADTH's Grey Matters checklist and other relevant sources in January 2022. Two independent raters will screen and extract data from identified material. Data will be presented in a tabular form.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

We will consider Canadian programmes that target the general public and exclude papers targeting health professionals. Our review will not limit by vaccine type and will consider any intervention that aims to inform individuals about immunisation. Our primary concept involves mapping the characteristics of programmes (eg, programme description, delivery format) and our secondary concept will examine barriers and facilitators to programme delivery.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval is not required as this study is a review of the published and publicly reported literature. Findings from this review will be disseminated to academic and health system stakeholders to inform immunisation programmes across a wide range of vaccine types and settings. We intend to use the results of this review to develop an immunisation support programme in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Factors Associated with HIV Seroconversion Among Women Attending an Urban Health Clinic in the South: A Matched Case-Control Study

Compared to knowledge about HIV risk factors among men in the south, less is known about risk factors for women. We conducted an individually matched case-control study to identify factors associated with HIV seroconversion among women. Cases had a clinician-assisted visit (CAV) between 2011 and 2016 at an Atlanta-based public health clinic before HIV diagnosis. Controls were women who visited the clinic but remained HIV negative. Controls were matched to cases in a 2:1 ratio on race, age at first CAV, and date of first CAV. Conditional logistic regression was used to develop a best-fitting model for characterizing HIV risk. Of 18,281 women who were HIV negative at their first visit, 110 (0.6%) seroconverted before 2019. Of these, 80 (73%) had a CAV before HIV diagnosis. Having multiple gonorrhea episodes, a syphilis episode, a greater number of sex partners in the past 2 months, anal sex, history of drug use, history of exchanging drugs or money for sex, and heterosexual sex with >1 sex partner in the last month were individually associated with HIV seroconversion. In multivariate analyses, having a syphilis episode [odds ratio (OR) = 4.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3-16.3], anal sex (OR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.0-8.1), and injection drug or crack cocaine use (OR = 33.5, 95% CI: 3.6-313.3) remained associated with HIV. Women having all three risk factors were six times more likely to seroconvert compared to women without these factors. Our results offer insights into which women in a southern HIV "hotspot" may be at greatest risk for HIV.

Experiences of emotional abuse among women living with HIV and AIDS in Malawi

Our aim for this study was to describe emotional abuse as it is experienced by women living with HIV and AIDS in Malawi. The study was conducted in the Lilongwe district in Malawi and used a descriptive phenomenological approach. Twelve women from two public health care clinics under the Lilongwe District Health Office were interviewed. Violating experiences that scarred the personhood and inherent value of being human were found to be the essence of their emotional abuse. Their husbands, family, and community members were responsible for the humiliation, abandonment, and blaming that caused them to feel hopeless.