Cardiovascular risk and endothelial function in people living with HIV/AIDS: design of the multi-site, longitudinal EndoAfrica study in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

ObjectivesFor persons living with HIV (PLWH) in long-term care, clinic transfers are common and influence sustained engagement in HIV care, as they are associated with significant time out-of-care, low CD4 count, and unsuppressed viral load on re-entry. Despite the geospatial nature of clinic transfers, there exist limited data on the geospatial trends of clinic transfers to guide intervention development. In this study, we investigate the geospatial characteristics and trends of clinic transfers among PLWH on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.DesignRetrospective spatial analysis.SettingPLWH who initiated ART treatment between 2012 and 2016 in South Africa’s Western Cape Province were followed from ART initiation to their last visit prior to 2017. Deidentified electronic medical records from all public clinical, pharmacy, and laboratory visits in the Western Cape were linked across space and time using a unique patient identifier number.Participants4176 ART initiators in South Africa (68% women).MethodsWe defined a clinic transfer as any switch between health facilities that occurred on different days and measured the distance between facilities using geodesic distance. We constructed network flow maps to evaluate geospatial trends in clinic transfers over time, both for individuals’ first transfer and overall.ResultsTwo-thirds of ART initiators transferred health facilities at least once during follow-up. Median distance between all clinic transfer origins and destinations among participants was 8.6 km. Participant transfers were heavily clustered around Cape Town. There was a positive association between time on ART and clinic transfer distance, both among participants’ first transfers and overall.ConclusionThis study is among the first to examine geospatial trends in clinic transfers over time among PLWH. Our results make clear that clinic transfers are common and can cluster in urban areas, necessitating better integrated health information systems and HIV care.

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Effects of harmful alcohol use on neurocognition among people living with HIV in Western Cape Province, South Africa - a baseline description

10.26226/morressier.589b235bd462b8028d8914f3 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Georgina Spies

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Western Cape ◽

Western Cape Province ◽

Harmful Alcohol ◽

Living With Hiv

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Educating the Heart: Fostering Hope Through Theatre in the AIDS Crisis in South Africa

Inquiry@Queen's Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings ◽

10.24908/iqurcp.8052 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Meghan Ward

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

International Development ◽

Healing Process ◽

Development Theory ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Aids Crisis ◽

Theatrical Representation ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

International Development Studies ◽

Hiv Aids

With approximately 5.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS, South Africa has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world. HIV tends to strike the most vulnerable people in society, and is often associated with high risk behaviours, which inevitably leads to stigmatization. Through an integration of theatre and development theory, I propose to investigate the potential of using theatre as a community event that raises awareness of collective issues and that offers new hope to people living with HIV. I suggest that theatre can educate the heart and put a human face on HIV/AIDS, thus catalyzing a healing process at the community level. By targeting township youth, those who are currently driving the virus, an interactive theatre style, such as participatory methodology, can effectively move beyond didactic education. In participatory theatre, the target group is incorporated into the theatrical representation of their circumstances through the performance of personal testimonies associated with HIV. Here, the power of theatre lies in its ability to produce individual reactions in the audience, which ultimately result in a collective experience and elevated consciousness through the discussion that ensues. The community is thus empowered to engage in a new ap proach to HIV/AIDS. Can such a performance prevent further infections by exposing the consequences and realities of living with AIDS? While a testcase would be ideal in the affirmation of these ideas, I hope to bring a new approach to community theatre through a combination of theories from both theatre and international development studies.

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An Afro-Christian ministry to people living with HIV/Aids in South Africa

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ◽

10.4102/hts.v61i3.466 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 61 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Matsobane J. Manala

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

World View ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Raising Awareness ◽

Aids Pandemic ◽

Persons Living With Hiv ◽

Pain And Suffering ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

The Church ◽

Hiv Aids

The HIV/Aids pandemic is cause for great frustration to the developing countries in their attempts to improve the quality of life of their citizens. HIV/Aids in South Africa demands a specific approach to the Christian ministry in which the African world-view is acknowledged. In order for the church to play a relevant and meaningful role in combating the HIV/Aids pandemic, it is necessary that the church should be informed of the existential situation of persons living with HIV/Aids. This information is vital for raising awareness and engendering sensitivity among Christians. In the context of such awareness of and sensitivity to human pain and suffering, the community of the faithful should be moved to heed Christ’s call to show neighbourly love. The possible role of the church in caring for those who are already infected with HIV is defined.

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The Validity of the Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Symptom Screener (SAMISS) in People Living with HIV/AIDS in Primary HIV Care in Cape Town, South Africa

AIDS and Behavior ◽

10.1007/s10461-014-0698-y ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 1133-1141 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Erica Breuer ◽

Kevin Stoloff ◽

Landon Myer ◽

Soraya Seedat ◽

Dan J. Stein ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Substance Abuse ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Cape Town ◽

Hiv Care ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Hiv Aids

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Home-Based Caregiving for People Living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved ◽

10.1353/hpu.2013.0091 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 697-705 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Theresa M. Mieh ◽

Juliet Iwelunmor ◽

Collins O. Airhihenbuwa

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Home Based ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Hiv Aids

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Stigma and disclosure as barriers to regular dental care for people living with HIV/AIDS in Kwazulu-Natal and Western Cape, South Africa

Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care ◽

10.1108/eihsc-05-2013-0006 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 49-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mervyn Turton ◽

Sudeshni Naidoo

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Health Care ◽

Oral Health ◽

Oral Health Care ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Western Cape ◽

Content Type ◽

Stigma And Discrimination ◽

Health Care Experiences ◽

Living With Hiv

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the oral health care experiences of people living with HIV in Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) and the Western Cape (WC) and also to identify the role of stigma and discrimination in the oral health care experiences for people living with HIV in KZN and the WC. Design/methodology/approach – This study was a survey among HIV-positive people attending selected Community Health Centres and regional hospitals, HIV clinics in KZN and WC provinces in South Africa. The sample consisted of people living with HIV that were 18 years or older and who had given written, informed consent. A cross-sectional study structure has been employed using a standardized format using a semi-structured interview and an administered questionnaire to collect data. The study classified participants as living in metropolitan or non-metropolitan areas. Findings – Apprehension of loss of confidentiality, stigma and discrimination were the barriers that deterred participants from seeking care. Respondents stated that they feared what the dentist and staff would think of them being HIV positive and feared being discriminated against by the dentist and staff. In some instances there appears to be a difference between policy and practice regarding the oral health care needs of and services rendered to people living with HIV in public health facilities as there are still patients who do not obtain care and for whom the attitudes of the health care provider constitutes the major barrier to accessing that care. Research limitations/implications – The results are specific to KZN and WC and have to be extrapolated with caution to the rest of South Africa. Additionally, this study did not have a control group of HIV-negative people which would have enabled one to determine whether certain barriers were unique to people living with HIV. Practical implications – To make recommendations with respect to addressing the issue of stigma and discrimination in the oral health care experiences for people living with HIV in KZN and the WC as there is a definite need for the government to address the resource needs of rural areas and less developed areas of South Africa. Health care is a much-needed resource in these high prevalence areas and governments must ensure that all their HIV/AIDS projects and policies should have a rural component built into them. Social implications – This study emphasizes the importance of embracing people that are being discriminated and marginalized by society such as people living with HIV to ensure that they feel a franchised member of society who can take the initiative to be in control of their own health and, with the necessary aid from public resources and societal support, join forces to reduce the public health burden and its impact on the socio-economic milieu. Originality/value – To the best of the author's knowledge, there is no other study that has compared differences in the use of oral health care services by people with HIV in South Africa and these results serve as an indication of some the important issues in this regard.

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