Predictors of unprotected sexual intercourse among HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral drugs in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Antiretroviral therapy abandonment among adolescents and young people with HIV/AIDS during COVID-19: A case-control study

OBJECTIVE

to identify the factors associated with antiretroviral therapy abandonment among adolescents and young people living with HIV/AIDS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHOD

a case-control study carried out between 2020 and 2021 in Maringá, Paraná. The cases corresponded to the following: adolescents and young people (aged from 10 to 24 years old) diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and who abandoned treatment, while the Control Group consisted of people with similar sociodemographic characteristics, diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and with no history of treatment abandonment. Pairing of the cases and controls was by convenience, with four controls for each case. The research instrument presented sociodemographic variables, clinical characteristics and others, whose association with treatment abandonment was analyzed by means of logistic regression.

RESULTS

a total of 27 cases and 109 controls were included in the study (1/4 ratio). The variable associated with an increased chance of abandonment was age close to 22.8 years old (ORadj: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.07-2.13; p=0.024). Sporadic condom use (ORadj: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.07-0.59; p=0.003) and having an opportunistic infection (OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.10-0.90; p=0.030) were protective factors.

CONCLUSION

age close to 23 years old at the last consultation was associated with antiretroviral therapy abandonment. The presence of opportunistic infections and condom use are determining factors for treatment continuity during COVID-19.

Risky Sexual Behaviour among HIV-Infected Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Risky sexual behaviour raises serious public health concerns. The pooled prevalence of risky sexual behaviours among adults living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa was unknown. This systematic review determined the pooled prevalence of risky sexual behaviours and associated factors among HIV-infected adults in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods

International databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and African Journals OnLine were systematically searched to identify articles. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guideline was used to conduct the review. All necessary data were extracted independently. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed by I-squared statistics and Egger's test, respectively. The random-effects meta-analysis model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence. The association between predictors and dependent variable was determined by a pooled odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).

Result

In this study, 3713 articles were retrieved from various databases, and 22 of them were included. The pooled prevalence of risky sexual behaviour in sub-Saharan Africa was 36.16% (95% CI: 28.36-44.34) with significant heterogeneity among studies (I2 = 98.86%, p < 0.001). Risky sexual behaviour was significantly associated with the nondisclosure of HIV status (AOR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.18, 2.76) and alcohol consumption (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.21, 3.36).

Conclusion

A significant percentage of participants engaged in risky sexual behaviour. Risky sexual behaviour was associated with failure to disclose HIV status and alcohol consumption. Healthcare professionals should advise HIV-positive patients on risk reduction measures like disclosing their HIV status to their sexual partners and avoiding alcohol use in order to promote consistent condom use. PROSPERO Protocol Registration. The protocol for this systematic review and meta-analysis has been registered (record ID: CRD42020170967, 09/06/2022).

Factors Associated with Condom Use Among Out-of-School Young People on Anti-Retroviral Therapy in Central Uganda

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Knowledge on mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and sexuality and fertility desires among people living with HIV in North-Central, Nigeria

Introduction

mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is the transmission of HIV from a mother to the child during pregnancy, labour and breastfeeding. People living with HIV (PLHIV) are sexually active and also HIV can be transmitted while trying to achieve pregnancy involving unprotected hetero-sexual intercourse. Fertility desire among PLHIV is increasing due to improved quality of life and survival following commencement of anti-retroviral treatment and available reproductive health services. The objective of the study was to determine the association between knowledge on MTCT of HIV and sexuality and fertility desire.

Methods

this study was descriptive cross-sectional applying systematic sampling technique among PLHIV using semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaires. Data was analysed using SPSS version 23.0. Chi square test was used for statistical analysis. At 95% confidence interval a P-value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results

a total of 168 PLHIV were studied, 63.3% females and 36.7% males. Majority (81.5%) of the respondents were sexually active and 64.1% had fertility desire. On awareness of MTCT 62.5% had heard of MTCT but only 28.2% had good knowledge. No association was found between knowledge of MTCT and sexuality and fertility desire respectively.

Conclusion

PLHIV had high awareness but poor knowledge on MTCT of HIV, hence the need for healthcare workers to provide sexual and reproductive health counselling including information on MTCT to both male and female PLHIV during routine clinic visits.

Psychosocial correlates of risky sexual behaviour amongst students in Niger Delta University, Bayelsa

Introduction

globally young people constitute one quarter of the population. They are the most vibrant and productive sector, but they are also prone to more risky sexual behaviour (RSB) with attendant negative consequences. In the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, persistent conflicts and socioeconomic difficulty predisposes young people to risky conducts including RSB. The aim of this study is to explore the psychosocial correlates of risky sexual behaviour amongst students in the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa.

Methods

we undertook a descriptive cross-sectional survey of students in the university. A multistage random sampling technique was used to recruit 400 students who completed a self-administered questionnaire. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0.

Results

out of the 400 students, 64.3% (257) engaged in RSB and 46.8% (187) were currently engaging in RSB. Rates of self-reported depression, suicidal ideation and attempt were 62.3% (249), 18.0% (72) and 14.3% (54) respectively. Independent correlates of RSB include being older than 19 years (aOR. 2.82; 95% C.I. 1.44 -5.51), male gender (aOR. 1.70; 95% C.I. 1.08-2.66), having depression (aOR. 1.83; 95% C.I. 1.15-2.92), being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD)/HIV (aOR. 2.08; 95% C.I. 1.12-3.86), and having been taught about condoms (aOR. 1.80; 95% C.I. 1.13-2.86).

Conclusion

risky sexual behaviours have negative psychosocial and health implications. Regular and continuous health education targeted at young people is essential to reduce the social and health effects associated with RSB.

MAVSCOT: A fuzzy logic-based HIV diagnostic system with indigenous multi-lingual interfaces for rural Africa

HIV still constitutes a major public health problem in Africa, where the highest incidence and prevalence of the disease can be found in many rural areas, with multiple indigenous languages being used for communication by locals. In many rural areas of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in South Africa, for instance, the most widely used languages include Zulu and Xhosa, with only limited comprehension in English and Afrikaans. Health care practitioners for HIV diagnosis and treatment, often, cannot communicate efficiently with their indigenous ethnic patients. An informatics tool is urgently needed to facilitate these health care professionals for better communication with their patients during HIV diagnosis. Here, we apply fuzzy logic and speech technology and develop a fuzzy logic HIV diagnostic system with indigenous multi-lingual interfaces, named Multi-linguAl HIV indigenouS fuzzy logiC-based diagnOstic sysTem (MAVSCOT). This HIV multilingual informatics software can facilitate the diagnosis in underprivileged rural African communities. We provide examples on how MAVSCOT can be applied towards HIV diagnosis by using existing data from the literature. Compared to other similar tools, MAVSCOT can perform better due to its implementation of the fuzzy logic. We hope MAVSCOT would help health care practitioners working in indigenous communities of many African countries, to efficiently diagnose HIV and ultimately control its transmission.