Category Archives: Women
Interventions to significantly improve service uptake and retention of HIV-positive pregnant women and HIV-exposed infants along the prevention of mother-to-child transmission continuum of care: Systematic review
OBJECTIVES: Despite the success of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programmes, low uptake of services and poor retention pose a formidable challenge to achieving the elimination of vertical...
Reproductive decision-making in women living with human immunodeficiency virus: A systematic review
OBJECTIVES: Analyze and synthesize the research evidence to understand the reproductive decisions made by women living with HIV from the beginning of the epidemic to the present. Evaluate the barriers...
Role of HIV exposure and infection in relation to neonatal GBS disease and rectovaginal GBS carriage: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) is the leading cause worldwide of neonatal sepsis. We sought to assess to which extent HIV exposure of neonates is associated with GBS neonatal disease. Furthermore, we...
The effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions in socioeconomically disadvantaged ethnic minority women: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Surveys in the United States and Europe have shown a plateau of new HIV cases, with certain regions and populations disproportionately affected by the disease. Ethnic minority women and...
Association between male circumcision and women’s biomedical health outcomes: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Male circumcision reduces men’s risk of acquiring HIV and some sexually transmitted infections from heterosexual exposure, and is essential for HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies have also investigated...
A scoping review of prevalence, incidence and risk factors for HIV infection amongst young people in Brazil
BACKGROUND: Despite young people being a key population for HIV prevention, the HIV epidemic amongst young Brazilians is perceived to be growing. We therefore reviewed all published literature on HIV...
Implementation effectiveness of revised (post-2010) World Health Organization guidelines on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV using routinely collected data in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review
BACKGROUND: To synthesize and evaluate the impact of implementing post-2010 World Health Organization (WHO) prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) guidelines on attainment of PMTCT targets. METHODS: Retrospective and prospective cohort...
Antiretroviral therapy for pregnant women living with HIV or hepatitis B: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of various antiretroviral/antiviral regimens in pregnant women living with HIV or hepatitis B virus (HBV). DESIGN: We performed random effects meta-analysis for HIV-related outcomes and...
Vitamin A supplements for reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission
BACKGROUND: Strategies to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) include lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-positive women, exclusive breastfeeding from birth for six weeks...
The role of Community Mobilization in maternal care provision for women in sub-Saharan Africa- A systematic review of studies using an experimental design
BACKGROUND: While the role of community mobilization in improving maternal health outcomes of HIV positive women in sub-Saharan Africa is continuously emphasized, little is known about how legitimate these claims...
Does being drunk or high cause HIV sexual risk behavior? A systematic review of drug administration studies
HIV sexual risk behavior is broadly associated with substance use. Yet critical questions remain regarding the potential causal link between substance use (e.g., intoxication) and HIV sexual risk behavior. The...
Interventions to address unequal gender and power relations and improve self-efficacy and empowerment for sexual and reproductive health decision-making for women living with HIV: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Many women living with HIV experience gendered power inequalities, particularly in their intimate relationships, that prevent them from achieving optimal sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and exercising their rights....
