Category Archives: Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
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...
Risk factors for HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment and frailty in aging people with HIV in Latin America: A systematic review
Background As people living with HIV (PWH) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have longer life expectancy due to improved access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), complications such as HIV-associated...
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...
Age-specific distribution of cervical precancer and cancer among women living with HIV across seven countries: A systematic review and an individual patient data meta-analysis
Background Women living with HIV have an elevated risk for cervical cancer, present earlier, and have more recurrent human papillomavirus (HPV) infections compared with women without HIV. To update WHO recommendations...
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...
Perceptions about the relationship between HIV, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and fecundity in sub-Saharan Africa: Findings from a systematic scoping review
Advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART) enable women living with HIV to safely conceive and give birth without vertical transmission. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 6 people experience infertility and...
HIV and cardiovascular diseases: A systematic review and comparative risk assessment study
Background People living with HIV (PLWH) face a significantly elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This study aims to quantify temporal trends in HIV-attributable CVD burden at global, regional and...
Oral manifestations in HIV-positive individuals under highly active antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence data
This study aims to analytically explore the prevalence of oral manifestations in HIV-positive patients who are receiving or are not receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Electronic search was conducted...
Obstetric nurses’ approach to evidence-based practice in breastfeeding within the context of HIV: A scoping review
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Human immunodeficiency virus remains a significant public health challenge, with breastfeeding contributing to the risk of mother-to-child transmission. Although antiretroviral therapy significantly reduces this risk, obstetric nurses face complex...
Closing diagnostic gaps in pediatric HIV: Innovations in point-of-care and digital monitoring with an Asia-Pacific implementation lens—A systematic review
Background/Objectives: Pediatric HIV case-finding and monitoring remain constrained by delayed early infant diagnosis (EID), loss to follow-up, and limited viral load (VL) testing-challenges particularly consequential in the operationally diverse Asia-Pacific...
