Health promotion for women with human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

Women-centred HIV care: a scoping review to understand the current state of service delivery for women living with HIV globally

Women living with HIV (WLWH) face unique barriers and require specialized, integrated care that focuses on women's specific needs. We conducted a scoping review to examine factors important for a women-centred HIV care (WCHC) approach. We included published peer-reviewed articles which featured WCHC services as their central focus; included study populations of girls and WLWH aged 14 years of age or older; and contributed to the understanding of WCHC for WLWH. Seven databases were reviewed and yielded 15,332 references, of which 21 fit our inclusion criteria for the scoping review. Research findings were categorized into characteristics of the study, recommendations, and target audiences. Findings revealed WCHC as care which includes the involvement of WLWH in decisions; person-centred integrated care; integrated services including mental health; sexual and reproductive health services; trauma-informed and safe space practices; healthcare provider training; and women's care self-management. In general, current systems of care do not meet the unique needs of WLWH.

Mapping HIV-related services for women in Eastern Canada: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Geographic health disparities have been well described in parts of Canada; however, little is known about the experiences of women living with HIV in the Maritime Provinces. This article focuses on the complex health system women living with HIV navigate geographically to access care in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada.

METHOD

This study includes interviews with 10 women living with HIV and 39 community-based workers whose organizations provide services to this group of women in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Purposive sampling was used to recruit both women living with HIV and community workers. Interviews were recorded and transcribed into a Microsoft word document. Transcripts were imported into NVivo 11 for thematic analyses and used to map the services women with HIV were accessing in their communities in ArcGIS 10.2 for Windows.

RESULTS

The study found that there are a number of barriers women with HIV face in the Maritime Provinces, including the low number of specialist physicians, long travel distances to major urban centers for care, and the loss of HIV-specific supports and resources. In response to these difficulties, community-based organizations are leading efforts in their communities to increase outreach programs and the number of available peer workers to improve the health outcomes of women living with HIV. Furthermore, it showed that women living with HIV and community workers were interested in creating a women-centered HIV care system in the Maritime Provinces, but were uncertain how to move forward with this initiative.

CONCLUSION

There is a need for women-centered HIV services. This study proposes streamlining the healthcare pathway and decreasing obstacles to increase women's access to care in the Maritime Provinces.

Nutrition education and counselling as strategic interventions to improvehealth outcomes in adult outpatients with HIV: a literature review

Malnutrition poses a significant risk for people living with HIV and accelerates disease progression. This is because adequate nutrition is essential for optimal immune function. This article discusses research on the role and use of nutrition education or counselling as a strategic intervention to improve health outcomes through better health behaviour in adult outpatients with HIV. Ten studies (five quantitative and five qualitative) met the inclusion criteria of the literature review. The findings of the studies related to the following outcomes of nutrition interventions: increases in fat-free and lean body mass; offsetting the adverse effects of HIV infection in patients with a low CD4 cell count; significant improvement in dietary patterns with resultant greater adherence to HIV medications and fewer side effects; and agreement on the importance of addressing the nutrition concerns. The article discusses the five prominent themes that emerged from the literature review: 1) ethical issues in HIV/AIDS research; 2) the role of health and culture in nutrition interventions; 3) HIV stigma and its impact on nutrition interventions; 4) the socioeconomics of HIV and AIDS; and 5) food security and emotional wellbeing among persons with HIV. Although the evidence base is limited and raises questions about key aspects of the quality of the research conducted to date, the overall results show that providing HIV-positive adults with culturally relevant and practical nutrition strategies can improve health outcomes, health behaviour and quality of life. Current and future nutrition interventions for persons with HIV disease should be targeted, sustainable, and rigorously evaluated. There is an urgent need for research on this topic in developing countries, particularly African ones, which are some of the most affected by HIV.

Women's Health Care Utilization among Harder-to-Reach HIV-Infected Women ever on Antiretroviral Therapy in British Columbia

Background. HIV-infected women are disproportionately burdened by gynaecological complications, psychological disorders, and certain sexually transmitted infections that may not be adequately addressed by HIV-specific care. We estimate the prevalence and covariates of women's health care (WHC) utilization among harder-to-reach, treatment-experienced HIV-infected women in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Methods. We used survey data from 231 HIV-infected, treatment-experienced women enrolled in the Longitudinal Investigations into Supportive and Ancillary Health Services (LISA) study, which recruited harder-to-reach populations, including aboriginal people and individuals using injection drugs. Independent covariates of interest included sociodemographic, psychosocial, behavioural, individual health status, structural factors, and HIV clinical variables. Logistic regression was used to generate adjusted estimates of associations between use of WHC and covariates of interest. Results. Overall, 77% of women reported regularly utilizing WHC. WHC utilization varied significantly by region of residence (P value <0.01). In addition, women with lower annual income (AOR (95% CI) = 0.14 (0.04–0.54)), who used illicit drugs (AOR (95% CI) = 0.42 (0.19–0.92)) and who had lower provider trust (AOR (95% CI) = 0.97 (0.95–0.99)), were significantly less likely to report using WHC. Conclusion. A health service gap exists along geographical and social axes for harder-to-reach HIV-infected women in BC. Women-centered WHC and HIV-specific care should be streamlined and integrated to better address women's holistic health.