Category Archives: Determinants of Health
HIV self-testing and clinician-administered testing in Southern Africa: A systematic review of programmatic outcomes
Objective: In 2024, an estimated 5.3 million of 40.8 million people with HIV (PWH) globally were unaware of their status, with Southern Africa bearing the highest regional burden. This review synthesizes...
Colliding wars: A systematic review on HIV responses in conflict-affected settings
BACKGROUND: Armed conflicts are an escalating threat to public health, often marked by violence, poverty, displacement and weakened health systems-conditions that mirror the drivers of HIV transmission. AIM: This review...
Person-centred HIV prevention services in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review
BACKGROUND: In spite of numerous advancements in HIV prevention, there are still gaps that impede reaching key populations throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Traditional approaches usually overlook personal preferences, social context and...
Systematic scoping review on HIV services for males in Sub-Saharan Africa: Access, barriers, and research gaps
BACKGROUND: Access to HIV services among men and boys in Sub-Saharan Africa is a significant public health challenge, exacerbated by cultural norms surrounding masculinity. This scoping review systematically investigates disparities...
Gender-responsive and -transformative interventions in HIV, TB and malaria programmes: A review of evidence
Gender-responsive and -transformative interventions are essential for tackling harmful social norms and discriminatory laws, policies, and practices that drive gender inequalities and health inequities especially for women, girls, and gender-diverse...
Effects of digital health interventions to promote safer sex behaviors among youth: Systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis
Background Youth aged 15–24 years carry a disproportionate HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STIs) burden. In recent years, different modalities of digital health interventions (DHIs) have been explored to promote safer sex behaviors...
Mental health of women with HIV: A qualitative meta-synthesis
BACKGROUND: Women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) experience significant psychological burdens due to biological and gendered factors such as pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. However, a life course-based understanding of...
Effectiveness of differentiated antiretroviral therapy delivery models for stable persons living with HIV in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction: Fundamental progress has been made in HIV care, and one of the major advances was the implementation of Differentiated Service Delivery (DSD) models. DSD models are important in reducing cost...
Effectiveness of telehealth in HIV management for people living with HIV and key populations: A systematic review of models, adherence, viral suppression, and behavioral outcomes
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a global health problem that causes many deaths, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Most HIV cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In...
Preferences for long-acting antiretroviral therapy among people with HIV: A systematic review of discrete choice experiments
BACKGROUND: Long-acting antiretroviral therapy (LA-ART) is emerging as a promising strategy to enhance treatment satisfaction and improve the quality of life for people living with HIV (PLWH). A comprehensive understanding...
