HIV in Three Groups of Young People from Medellín: General Population, Organizations for People with Socioeconomic Vulnerability, and Men Who Have Sex with Other Men

Introduction

In Colombia, there are no studies that analyze the effect of socioeconomic vulnerability and belonging to the group of men who have sex with other men (MSM) on the prevalence of HIV in young people.

Objective

To compare the prevalence of HIV in three groups of young people from Medellín-Colombia: general population, socioeconomic vulnerability and MSM.

Methods

This cross-sectional analytical study included 2449 young people from the general population, 1736 from institutions that serve young people in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability, and 2269 MSM. The prevalence of infection in each group was determined, statistical differences were identified using Pearson's Chi-square and Trend's Chi-square, and crude and adjusted odds ratios were estimated using logistic regression with 95% confidence intervals. Analyses were performed in SPSS 29.0.

Results

HIV prevalence was 0.8% in the general population group, 1.3% in young people with socioeconomic vulnerability, and 5.6% in MSM. The groups with the highest HIV were as follows: (i) in MSM it was 4.1 compared to the general population, (ii) between 25-28 years of age it was 2.9 times compared to those under 20 years, (iii) in men it was 10 times that registered in women, (iv) in young people with primary, secondary, technical and university studies it was 7.1; 6.7; 11.0 and 14.5 times that found in those who did not register studies, (v) in affiliates of the subsidized health regime it was 2.2 times and in those without affiliation 2.4 times compared to the infection in affiliates of the contributory health regime.

Conclusion

HIV prevalence was high, and explained by socioeconomic vulnerability, having sex between men, gender, age, education, and health affiliation, demonstrating the intersectionality of determinants of the health system, socioeconomic status, and determinants individuals in the occurrence of HIV in young people in Medellín.

Acompañamiento psicosocial en cuidadores primarios informales: Mindfulness, calidad de vida y apoyo social a distancia

Hablar de género es analizar las condiciones de vida de mujeres y hombres; sin embargo, poco se sabe de las necesidades que surgen en los hombres si nos detenemos a reflexionar acerca de las posibles desventajas con que ellos tienen que aprender a vivir. Se utilizó el construccionismo social como enfoque teórico de esta investigación, incorporando la perspectiva de género. El objetivo es analizar el proceso de socialización y aprendizaje del ser hombre dentro de la familia, identificando algunas desventajas que viven los hombres en su proceso de construcción identitaria. La metodología es cualitativa; se entrevistó a tres hombres y se utilizó el análisis de contenido para analizar la información obtenida. Los resultados mostraron cómo la educación en torno al género es importante en la construcción de hombres, ya que los participantes fueron aprendiendo estos roles y estereotipos asignados socialmente, lo cual los conduce a ocultar sus verdaderas emociones por el temor a ser señalados o juzgados. Se sugiere abrir más espacios de reflexión donde sea posible reconocer las necesidades y desventajas que ellos viven en su condición de hombres “invencibles”, donde puedan hablar de sí mismos, propiciando el autocuidado de su salud y su cuerpo, analizando esas formas de vida basadas en estereotipos que los llevan a riesgos innecesarios.

HIV Prevalence and Associated Factors in Key Groups and General Population Treated at a Health Care Institution in Colombia in 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Research conducted on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and its associated factors among key groups in Colombia is scarce. The few available studies show heterogeneity in their results and increasing trends of infection. This study analyses the prevalence of HIV and associated factors in key groups served at a health care institution in Colombia in 2019.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study with the sample comprised of 5771 subjects from the general population, the LGBTI community, sex workers, people who inject drugs and prisoners. The diagnosis was based on a fourth-generation ELISA. Variables related to sociodemographics, healthcare, sexual risk factors and biological measures of infected subjects were analysed. Prevalence and odds ratios were calculated with 95% confidence intervals, and logistic regression models were performed to identify confounding variables and interactions between independent variables using SPSS 25.0.

RESULTS

The prevalence of HIV was 0.27% among the general population, 0.53% among sex workers, 0.66% among the homeless, 2.44% among transgender persons, 2.44% among prisoners, 5.36% among men who have sex with men and 7.92% among injection drug users. The explanatory model showed higher prevalence among men, those with higher education levels, those with no health coverage, those who have sex with people from key groups and those with sexually transmitted infections, with some interactions between the latter variables.

CONCLUSION

A high prevalence of infection was found in the key groups, while the main explanatory factors for high infection rates were identified. The data show that national and global goals related to controlling HIV have not been achieved mainly in groups that are at a higher risk of obtaining and transmitting it and, paradoxically, also that are excluded from the national health coverage.

Incidencia de tuberculosis, VIH e Índice de Desarrollo Humano en Colombia: un análisis por departamentos 2005-2014

Objetivo: Correlacionar la incidencia de tuberculosis pulmonar, tuberculosis extrapulmonar y VIH con el índice de desarrollo humano por departamentos en Colombia entre los años 2005 y 2014.Métodos: Estudio ecológico en 29 departamentos de Colombia, con datos de las secretarias de salud, SIVIGILA y del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo. Los análisis se realizaron con medidas de resumen, intervalos de confianza, Kruskal Wallis y correlación de Spearman en SPSS.Resultados: Se encuentra incremento en la incidencia de tuberculosis pulmonar y VIH en el lapso estudiado. Por otra parte, no se halló correlación entre el IDH con la tasa de tuberculosis pulmonar; sin embargo, con la tuberculosis extrapulmonar y el VIH se identificaron correlaciones positivas y significativas con Rho Spearman de 0,320 y 0,324 respectivamente.Conclusión: Este estudio puso de manifiesto una correlación positiva y significativa entre la infección por VIH, tuberculosis extrapulmonar e índice de desarrollo humano que indica que las regiones del país con mayor nivel de desarrollo presentan las mayores tasas de infección. Esta información es importante para que las autoridades sanitarias realicen acciones que ayuden a comprender las causas que explican este fenómeno.

Tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus coinfection: Epidemiological situation in the department of Meta, 2010- 2015

Introduction. One third of the increase in tuberculosis cases is attributed to the spread of HIV. Objective. To describe the Tb/HIV coinfection in the department of Meta from 2010 to 2015. Materials and methods. We conducted an observational, descriptive and retrospective study. After selecting 219 cases for analysis, two new databases were constructed and analyzed in three phases: Identification of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, indicators by municipality (prevalence and therapeutic success) and stratification in epidemiological scenarios according to the prevalence (burden) of the illness. Results. Sixty percent of the municipalities corresponded to scenario 2. People with Tb/HIV coinfection who had not been treated previously, had 2.39 times more probability of having therapeutic success compared to those previously treated, this association being statistically significant (RP=2,39; 95% CI 1,3-9,6; p=0,01). Conclusion. Stratification by epidemiological scenarios is useful for planning prevention and control activities.