Search

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to model the predictors of HIV prevalence in Malawi through a complex sample logistic regression and spatial mapping approach using the national Demographic and Health Survey datasets.MethodsWe conducted a secondary data analysis using the 2015-2016 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey and AIDS Indicator Survey. The analysis was performed in three stages while incorporating population survey sampling weights to: i) interpolate HIV data, ii) identify the spatial clusters with the high prevalence of HIV infection, and iii) perform a multivariate complex sample logistic regression.ResultsIn all, 14,779 participants were included in the analysis with an overall HIV prevalence of 9% (7.0% in males and 10.8% in females). The highest prevalence was found in the southern region of Malawi (13.2%), and the spatial interpolation revealed that the HIV epidemic is worse at the south-eastern part of Malawi. The districts in the high HIV prevalent zone of Malawi are Thyolo, Zomba, Mulanje, Phalombe and Blantyre. In central and northern region, the district HIV prevalence map identified Lilongwe in the central region and Karonga in the northern region as districts that equally deserve attention. People residing in urban areas had a 2.2 times greater risk of being HIV-positive compared to their counterparts in the rural areas (AOR = 2.16; 95%CI = 1.57-2.97). Other independent predictors of HIV prevalence were gender, age, marital status, number of lifetime sexual partners, extramarital partners, the region of residence, condom use, history of STI in the last 12 months, and household wealth index. Disaggregated analysis showed in-depth sociodemographic regional variations in HIV prevalence.ConclusionThese findings identify high-risk populations and regions to be targeted for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) campaigns, HIV testing, treatment and education to decrease incidence, morbidity, and mortality related to HIV infection in Malawi.

Violent behaviour perpetrated against women has long‐lasting negative physical and mental health consequences for women, their children, their families, and their communities. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with many adverse physical, psychological, and emotional consequences. Structural racism and historical trauma affect women's trust and further hinder the ability of Indigenous and Black women to seek help after experiencing IPV. The availability of IPV support services, which can include shelter, food, group therapy, legal assistance, and advocacy, can be inaccessible to women due to the inability to access often limited resources in urban environments and reasons compounded by potential geographic distance if living in rural areas or living in community. Understanding the unique reasons why Indigenous and Black women do not seek help, and the barriers they experience when seeking help after IPV, is critical. Pandemics have the potential to create further complexities on how IPV is experienced. Black and Indigenous women experiencing IPV were therefore at even greater risk for IPV‐related harm because of state and local "stay at home" measures put in place to minimise the spread COVID‐19. The purpose of this manuscript is to explicate the methods for a large R01 study in the Upper Midwest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender-based violence (GBV) poses a significant threat to women with refugee status.Following our analysis based on a previously published scoping review, we introduce a conceptual framework based on postcolonial feminist theory to inform research, policy, and practice that addresses the unique risk factors faced by Somali women with refugee status experiencing GBV and encountering barriers to care.The framework synthesizes existing literature, incorporates findings from previous work with Somali women, and emphasizes the importance of understanding structural and sociocultural factors influencing help-seeking.By developing women-centered interventions, health care and social service institutions can play a pivotal role in addressing GBV for Somali women with refugee status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The risk of developing cardiovascular disease is higher for women who had hypertensive disorders of pregnancy than for women without a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. However, it is unknown whether the emergency department visits and hospitalization differ between women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and women without hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The objective of this study was to characterize and compare cardiovascular disease-related emergency department visits, hospitalization rates, and diagnoses in women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with those in women without., Methods: This study included participants from the California Teachers Study (N=58,718) with a history of pregnancy and data from 1995 through 2020. Incidence of cardiovascular disease-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations based on linkages with hospital records were modeled using multivariable negative binomial regression. Data were analyzed in 2022., Results: A total of 5% of the women had a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (5.4%, 95% CI=5.2%, 5.6). A total of 31% of women had 1 or more cardiovascular disease-related emergency department visits (30.9%), and 30.1% had 1 or more hospitalizations. The incidence of cardiovascular disease-related emergency department visits (adjusted incident rate ratio=8.96, p<0.001) and hospitalizations (adjusted incident rate ratio=8.88, p<0.001) were significantly higher for women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy than for those without, adjusting for other related characteristics of the women., Conclusions: History of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is associated with higher cardiovascular disease-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations. These findings underscore the potential burden on women and the healthcare system of managing complications associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Evaluating and managing cardiovascular disease risk factors in women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is necessary to avoid cardiovascular disease-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations in this group., (Copyright © 2023 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)